Chrono Trigger Threads of Destiny
by Sylverwolf
Summary: Been gone for a long time, I'm restarting Chapter 6 and should be updating this soon!
1. The Sleeper Awakens

  


  


**Chrono Trigger: Threads of Destiny**

  


  


  


**Chapter 1: The Sleeper Awakens**

65,000,000 B.C.

  


Ioka village had been peaceful for months now, the inhabitants of the hut village adjusting their habits to fit the cold. The horrors of not so long ago forgotten and blocked from their memory like a bad dream. Even Kino sometimes seemed to have forgotten what it was like living in fear of the Reptites. Ayla could not forget; she could not forget the long struggle, nor the endless combat, nor the sour taste of victory as her main adversary crawled in defeat. Ayla could not forget, even had she not promised to the dying Azala, the power and ferocity and honor of the Reptites.

It was surprising how Ayla had not forgotten about the Reptites yet had trouble remember the faces of her closest friends and comrades. All she could remember was the great fear that had nearly overwhelmed her while she and the other Time-stream Travelers had battled some great and evil monster, hundreds of times more powerful than the late Reptites.

Ayla blinked into the silence of the room, _What monster? _she thought in surprise, _Ayla no remember what monster was!_

Before Ayla could try to focus her memory, she heard screaming from outside and dashed out on all fours with an inhuman speed. The scene outside was impossible. Although she clearly remembered killing the Black Tyrano, there the monster stood in the village center, chasing and attacking people and huts with the same reckless abandon.

Confused and surprised, the villagers could not even fight back, their weapons were either useless or back in their huts, many were trying to save their families from being crushed or destroyed. As the Iokan chief, Ayla screamed her savage battle cry and attacked the rampaging Tyrano, calling her followers to fight with her.

The Tyrano stopped at the sound of her voice and turned it's head. As if she were it's target, the monster roared at her and rushed forward. Oblivious to her own danger, Ayla rushed forward with as great a roar and met the Tyrano head-on.

The collision as Ayla leaped from the ground and slammed shoulder-first into the monsters face was amazing. The monster reared back it's head, sending Ayla flying through the air to land easily on her feet. The slightly dazed Tyrano shook it's head and tried to turn towards her again. She refused to give it the time to attack. Summoning all her speed, Ayla ran toward it again, seemingly possessed by the need to defeat the supposedly long-dead monster. She leaped into the air as she closed in with her opponent, her jump taking her like a grass-hopper onto the monsters back.

Unable to reach the insect on it's back, the Tyrano swung around, trying to throw her off. Holding on for dear life, Ayla steadily crawled up the monsters back towards it's head. As she climbed, the monsters stopped bucking and seemed to be holdings it's breath... _What it try do big fire breath for?! _she thought confusedly, remembering it's scorching attack.

A fist-sized stone suddenly slammed into her arm and she bit back a cry of pain, looking around sharply for the source of the weapon. Across the village center, a dozen of her people were throwing stones at the Tyrano, trying to protect the last of the village and their chief; suddenly the breath attack made perfect sense to Ayla.

"_Run!!! It do big fire!!!_" Ayla shouted to them.

The villagers heard her and turned to run....too late. The Black Tyrano let loose it's flaming stream of light into the center of the attacking villagers. The screams as their unprotected skin melted in the extreme heat of the flame cut into Ayla's soul like a sharp knife.

With a mindless scream of primal rage, Ayla let loose her greatest attack, leaping with all her strength and her rage to crash into the Tyrano's head with blinding power and speed only to rebound and fly again and finally, like a hawk closing in for the kill, a third and final time. The attacks were so fast the beast didn't even have time to scream or cry out in pain as it's head was crushed by the force of Ayla's triple kick.

The beasts great body crashed to the ground, crushing rocks and wreckage beneath it's mass. Ayla, though breathing hard, jumped uninjured from the hulking corpse to the ground to see Kino and several other villagers running towards her.

"Ayla strong, good chief, told village to let you handle monster," Kino then shook his head, "But some say help Ayla, Kino could no stop them. Kino sorry..."

"Not Kino fault," Ayla replied, looking wearily at the bodies of her people, "Reptite fault...but thought Reptite's all dead!"

Kino looked worriedly at her, "Kino hear stories of green hunters in woods, watching Ioka...maybe Reptite's return?"

Ayla shook her head, "Hope no come back, Azala dead...but so too Tyrano."

  


12,000 B.C.

  


Melchior felt something totally wrong in the air, he wasn't sure what it was, but he was sure that it was no good. Algetty had been rebuilt now, better and larger than ever thanks to the cooperation between the Enlightened and Earthbound ones. Melchior stood on the tallest tower in the new town, looking to the line the horizon created upon it's greeting of the sky. Looking because something was not right and because it was all he could do about it.

"I thought I'd find you here, Melchior," came the voice of the mayor of Algetty, his cane making a click noise every time it hit the stone floor.

"Something it just not right," Melchior mused, "I don't know what or how or even where, but I just know that it's coming and coming faster everyday."

"But Lavos was killed and the Queen stripped of her power," he said, "The Prophet and Dalton disappeared, Dalton we know for sure is gone for good, the Ocean Palace and Black Omen were completely destroyed, what else was left? A new threat perhaps?"

Melchior grunted, "I don't know..."

"Come then, we're almost ready to eat and there's someone strange here to talk to you. Perhaps he's the reason for your unease, he certainly makes everyone else feel that way."

"Someone strange?" Melchior asked suspiciously.

"Yes, he..." the mayor began.

A rumble from deep within the earth rocked the tower and both stumbled and fell to the floor.

"What in the...?!" exclaimed Melchior.

The rumbling continued, but neither noticed as their attention was caught by a brilliant white pillar rising from the horizon and stretching almost like a plea into the heavens. Melchior and the mayor watched in amazement as the pillar grew in size and became more and more brilliant until the shining white shaft was painful to watch.

"What is that?" whispered the amazed mayor.

Before Melchior could respond, the white pillar faded and was replaced by a huge surge of swirling blue as the ocean itself reared up in response to the mysterious light. There was a long pause as the enraged ocean and rumbling earth grew quiet once more and Melchior and the mayor got to their feet. Neither spoke, too amazed to say another word.

"That is my reason for wanting words with you Melchior," came a strangely familiar voice.

Spinning around with a speed belied by his age, Melchior faced the stranger. 

The figure wore a cape of pure black, his hood pulled up over his face and with only the tips of his black boots showing beneath the darkness. The hooded figure simply stood there as Melchior futilely tried to peer into the blackened hood. When he realized there was no way a normal human could see into that magical darkness, Melchior activated a bit of his own magic to enhance vision.

"Don't do that," the stranger said calmly, the words alone enough to dissipate Melchior's magic and shake his confidence.

"Who are you?" the old guru asked.

"You should watch, the best part is yet to come."

"What do you mean the best..." Melchior started.

Again interrupted by a shaking earth, the two old men turned their attention to back out the window, struggling to keep their feet steady on the ground. What Melchior saw turned his knees to water and he collapsed in shock to stare unthinkingly across the barren lands at his worst nightmare.

"Impossible..." he muttered.

  


600 A.D.

The attacks had not slowed. Starting two weeks ago, a large force of Mystics had attacked Guardia castle itself, totally breaking the peace treaty and screaming Magus' name at the top of their lungs, burning villages and driving innocents away as they rampaged through the country-side.

Glenn, as he thought of himself now, stared out at the huge army camped right outside Guardia's walls as they gathered for the next assault. It appeared that not only were the Mystics greater in numbers than ever, but that Magus was indeed leading their attack. The black-caped terror floated above his army, impervious to the arrows and stones thrown by the defenders.

At his side was the parasitic Ozzie; Flea and Slash both were heading the armies attacking the castle. Glenn did not fear any of them being his match, but he could not fight, he had to use his skill in magic just to keep Magus from wiping them out himself. Ironically, while the defending army had initially looked at him as the same old frog-like monster, and had allowed him to join their ranks only because he was the hero who had previously fought and beat Magus, and as a friend of the Queen and King, they now cheered him as their saviour and the only one able to keep Magus from destroying the castle.

Glenn drew his sword, wishing he had not returned the Masamune to the Denadoro Mountains, and prepped his magic. The first wave of Mystics rushed the wall and were slashed by arrows and spears from the defenders, the second wave rushed over their bodies without a second though as Magus raised his hand and sent a wave of lightning across the wall of the castle. Glenn didn't wait and sent a large wave of water to flow down the wall to absorb the lightning magic.

Magus smiled humorlessly at Glenn and raised his hand to send a stream of flame right towards the frog. Glenn surrounded himself with a bubble of water and watched the fire hiss and steam as it came in contact with the water magic. Glenn tried desperately to see through the steam, able to see the black ball flying towards him only in time to jump aside.

The shadow magic impacted with the wall and tore it shreds, sending shrapnel flying in all directions, some of them slicing Glenn's arms and face. The frog jumped to his feet and saw the evil sorcerer laughing with Ozzie chuckling at his side.

Glenn's rage was white-hot, and remembering what Spekkio had taught him about using magic he gathered all the water he could from Guardia castles underground spring and formed it into a spear headed by pure magical force. He knew this was all the magic he had in him, but he hoped to either disable Magus or hurt him enough to buy some time for him to recover or someone to retrieve the Masamune.

Swinging his hand in an upward gesture he sent the magical spear flying through the ground. The huge eruption of magical power and water from the ground broke the attacker's rush as their comrades were flung into the air. Glenn sent the spear hurling towards floating pair of magic-users.

Using the last trick he's learned from his long talk with Spekkio about his magic, Glenn turned the water spear into a conscious being with the head of a dragon. The Water Dragon attacked Magus and Ozzie before either could gather enough magic to counter it.

The dragon's roar as it's watery teeth bit into Magus and Ozzie was earth shattering and it's size and power fearful to behold. Ozzie screamed in pain and uncontrollable terror, lightning and fire and ice spurting from his hands in all directions. Magus grunted and pointed down the dragon's throat. The dragon suddenly erupted with brilliant flashes of darkness as it was torn apart from the inside by an expanding shadow spell. With a final scream it burst into watery drops and disappeared.

Ozzie's hopefully-dead corpse collapsed to the earth with a thud and Magus sent a look of pure anger at the now-helpless Glenn. He started to float forward but stopped when he coughed up blood and started losing altitude.

"I won't be so careless next time, you stupid frog!" came Magus' pained shout. He then turned and floated limply back to his dazed armies' encampment. The attackers and defenders stood in awe for a moment, then the Mystics turned tail and ran back toward their safe-haven, leaving injured and fallen comrades lying in the field.

As Glenn collapsed to the ground in a stupor from over-using his strength, the same through kept running circles in his fading consciousness, _Why was he surprised?! Magus...what about Magus? He killed Cyrus, and I need to get revenge...but didn't I already..._ he faded into unconsciousness before he could complete the thought.

1000 A.D.

  


Crono sighed again, unsure what to do now. Marle and Lucca had both been getting worse and nothing he could was changing it. Marle hardly seemed to be able to remember him or Lucca at all, and Lucca was forgetting Marle as well. Why was he the only one who remembered everything?

Worse than that was his own increasingly faded memories, it used to be days before he's start to forget things, now he had to fight it everyday. The only thing that kept the memories alive was when he practiced with his blade, for some reason when he'd work on his forms the memories would strengthen like well-forged steel. He'd tried to get Marle to practice her marksmanship but it's hadn't seemed to help at all. Even working with magic had done nothing for her.

"Crono!" came the distant sound of Lucca's voice, "Hey Crono!"

Crono turned to see Lucca running as though possessed towards him.

"What's up?" he asked as she approached.

"Huff, huff... geez! I had to run all the way here from the castle! My new invention! The King and the Princess want to see it in action!" she exclaimed ecstaticly.

"Huh? The Princess?" Crono asked surprised.

"Yes the Princess! I thought you might wanna come help move the machine, you might get to talk to her!" Lucca winked, "I know you've had your eye on her for awhile!"

Crono stared at her unbelievably, "You mean Marle, right?"

Lucca gave him a withering look, "You block-head! Her name's Nadia!"

Crono decided to play it safe this time, "Oh right, sorry. Umm...you said something about a machine?"

Lucca rolled her eyes, "My newly completed invention, the one I've been working on for weeks now! The Telepod! Remember? I wanted to be able to move people from one place to another instantly! Well it works and the King wants to see how useful it would be for transportation!"

"Who told you he wanted to see it?" Crono asked.

"Well, he and his daughter came to our house with an escort and watched the demo! He was so impressed he wants to see it again and show his other lords and ladies!" Lucca said ecstatically.

Crono shrugged, "So you said hi to the princess then?"

"Of course not! She was too busy looking around; I guess I'd be bored and lonely too with only adults and nobles around me..."

Crono nodded, "Yeah, that wouldn't be much fun would it."

"Exactly! And since we'll have time to socialize I thought maybe you could get a word in with the princess, you know, get to know her a bit better!" Lucca smiled wickedly.

Crono nodded, unsure what else to say, "Sure, sounds like fun... what time do you need help?"

Lucca pondered it for a second, "Well, the King wants to see it tomorrow, so probably early morning. Meet at my place and we'll load and carry it to Guardia castle."

Crono nodded, said goodbye, and with a wave Lucca started walking home. _This isn't right_, he thought, _Lucca doesn't remember about Marle or anything since we met her!_

2300 A.D.

__

__Robo was worried. Typically robot's wouldn't worry, but he was not a typical robot; Lucca had seen to that. Lately however, Doan, supervisor of the Information Center and descendent of the Guardia line, as well as Robo's friend and previous time-traveling companion, had been looking at him strangely and conversing with others about his odd behavior. When Robo had asked him what the problem was, Doan had asked why he was different from the other robots. The question had shocked the metallic person and he's answered because he was different.

Ever since then Doan had had another RX-Series robot following him, monitoring his movements. Robo had analyzed the problem for some time now and the only logical conclusion was that Doan had forgotten that Robo had developed beyond any other robotic person thanks to Lucca. Doan had asked who Lucca was with a fervor that had frightened the robot. Robo had claimed her to be one of his maintainers and not sure of her location.

Since then Doan had been searching for someone named Lucca with a passion that bordered on obsession. Robo knew then that something was very wrong with Doan's memory, and since it didn't match normal age-deterioration patterns for a human brain, Robo had concluded that it must be induced.

Now he had finishing his work on a replica of one of Lucca's greatest inventions, and was ready to put it to good use. Taking his finished product, Robo left his storage space and recharge station and was on hit way to the depths of Proto Dome's inner facilities. His tail was following at it's proscribed distance, but Robo ignored it, soon it wouldn't be able to follow him.

The room was just as he remembered it, no one came to this forsaken area anymore, and his tail was still a ways behind him. Without further ado, Robo pulled out his replica of Lucca's Gate Key and opened the Time-Gate to Guardia Forest 1000 A.D.

The trip which seemed to slightly bother humans thankfully had no effect on him, so he was able to quickly scan the area as he emerged from the space-time distortion in a large forested area. His sensors confirmed no abnormal activity and human life all around. Without a seconds hesitation he decided to first talk to Marle and then find Lucca and finally Crono. Once the three of them were together again, Robo could tell them about the mental abnormalities starting in his time.

Robo made it to the castle quickly and without incident, feeling a strange feeling of safety as he entered the castles gate. The great arch leading into the palace looked as grand as ever, polished to a near perfect shine. The two polished guards looked at him and suddenly lowered their spears, aiming for his chest.

"Timo, Robera nice to see you again, can I speak to Marle?" Robo asked the familiar guards.

Both looked at each other, "Uh...well, whatever the hell you are, what are you doing here, how do you know our names and who the hell is Marle?" Timo half demanded, half pleaded.

"It's me, Robo? And Marle is the name Princess Nadia goes by more often than not these days," Robo answered confusedly, "You know that."

Timo nodded to Robera, who quickly ran off towards the guard room.

Robo suddenly understood, the guards had also lost their memory, just like Doan during his period. The sudden sound of dozens of feet slamming on the stone floor made a quick desicion for Robo; he didn't want to hurt any of these men, so he dashed quickly out the door.

Chance of pursuit was 87%, more than enough for Robo to decide to make his visit to Lucca very carefully. Running towards the Gate to keep hidden where his tracks had originally come from, Robo ran diagnostics on his jet-pack. 98% usability. More than enough for limited travel without even wearing them down.

He'd just have to make a convincing false trail and then fly to a safer spot and wait until dark to travel to Lucca's house. As he ran off he continued his analyzation of possible explanations for the recent human memory-loss problem.

  


  


Crono wiped the sweat from his forehead again, taking a few deep breaths. He had been really pushing himself in his sword-work tonight, Lucca's lack of any memory had really disturbed him. He lifted his blade into the air, looking at the detail and perfect workmanship. Melchior had done beautifully when he'd made the Rainbow, his best work short of the Masamune.

Made of the mystical Rainbow-shell and with the power of the Sun stone, the blade was like an addiction of which he couldn't rid himself, not that he ever wanted to mind you, but it's beauty and power made him feel invincible.

He smiled at the memory of those times; even though they'd been fighting to save the planet he'd enjoyed the adventure and being with his friends, especially Marle. _And now even Lucca and Marle don't remember me or each other..._ he sighed and his hand tightened on the sword, _But I won't let that happen to me!_

"Are you sure about that, boy?" said a voice.

  


  


"I dunno! He seemed kinda surprised at first like I expected, but it was wrong somehow. And it seemed almost like he'd met Princess Nadia before..." Lucca said to her parents at their dinner table.

_Princess Nadia? _Robo thought, _It seems even Lucca's lost her memory._

Robo had approached Lucca's house warily, being careful to make sure that no one but Lucca would see him in case the guards had put out his description and a reward for information. Peeking in the windows had proven to be his smartest move this entire trip, as he'd seen Lucca talking with her parents and decided to be sure of Lucca's memory before seeing her.

"Yeah, that's strange dear! But remember Crono's always been kinda weird..." Lucca's mom said.

"Yeah, and he keeps playing with that stupid sword..." Lucca grumped, "When I last asked him why he did that since he wasn't going in the Guards or the Knights, he claimed that it had been really useful once already!"

"Well, I think the boys a bit messed up in the head!" Taban, Lucca's father, exclaimed, "He's always been kinda weird but lately he looks at all of us like we're crazy or something. And he keeps asking me what I remember of the last year or two!"

_So Crono might still remember... _thought Robo, _Why would that be?_

Several possibles popped into his mind, but none of them fit or could be proven. Robo just dropped the analyzation until he'd talked to Crono. It was already night, so he would have no problem getting to Crono's house unseen.

  


  


"Who are you!" Crono demanded, holding the Rainbow before him.

"Hmph, why do you threaten me, boy? Have I ever done anything to you?" a cloaked figure asked. The person was tall, but not extremely so, he wore a black cloak and boots and kept his face hooded.

"Ha! Not that I know of pal! But I've always been a suspicious person."  
The dark and hooded figure sighed, "So instead of listening and learning you defend yourself against me? Your mother would be very upset at her son raising a sword to her husband."

Crono froze. _It can't be...my father died long ago!_

"Hard for me to be dead and here at the same time, don't you think?" asked his supposed father in a sarcastic tone.

"Stop reading my mind!" Crono growled.

"Stop talking back and put that sword down now!" the figure shouted and threw back his hood.

Crono's eye flew wide open as the face of the father he remembered was revealed. His fingers went numb and he dropped the blade, stuttering the word 'impossible' over and over again and refusing to believe that his fathers burial had been a sham.

His father approached him slowly, "What's so impossible?"

Crono shook his head, "You can't be my father! Not only did he die, but we buried his body! I remember burying him!" Crono forced the memory of his father to return... but every time he recalled the face it was too perfect a match for this man's face to be a sheer coincidence.

The stranger smiled and started to chuckle when suddenly it hit Crono like a bolt of his own lightning. The face was the same! It hadn't changed at all, his real father would have aged! Of course the person was a fake, he remembered burying his father and this person was merely preying on his recent stress to confuse him. Crono growled and dove for his sword.

The strangers smile broadened, "Realization comes too late boy!"

The stranger flung his hand open and a black ball brighter than the sun yet darker than a moon-less night flew out and caught Crono as he dove for his blade. The impact sent the poor time-traveler flying through the air to crash into a tree, his sword yards away. Crono tried to move but found his body paralyzed by whatever Shadow spell the man had used on him.

The stranger walked slowly toward the helpless time-traveler, "You, that softy robot, the enigmatic sorcerer and even that stupid, stupid frog!" he rubbed his side at the mention of the frog, "Why won't you just leave it be and live peacefully!"

The stranger raised his hand and streams of black energy began to flow together into a large void. Crono heard voices screaming in the air, crying out for release and for an end to it all... Crono recognized it as Magus' Black Hole spell. Crono's eyes widened, O_nly Magus can use that spell!_

__The stranger smiled as if reading his thoughts again, "Correct and goodbye, Time Stream Traveler." He laughed as his hood covered his now-warping face once more and darkness was restored to it.

Without warning, the cloaked man grunted and was flung through the air by a bright flash of energy. He landed on his side and went rolling, losing the Black Hole spell and his paralyzation spell on Crono, who dashed and grabbed his sword mid roll to come up facing his enemies direction.

"Crono!" came Robo's mechanical voice.

Glancing over, Crono saw the metallic shape of his old traveling companion approaching. Crono's friend seemed to have a few new additions to his body, one being a strange rocket pack which Crono guessed had launched that energy blast that had saved his life. With a thumbs up and a grin, Crono silently thanked the robot.

"How did you get here you worthless bucket of tin!" came the amused voice of the figure, "I thought you'd be stuck in the future for longer than that."

"Who are you," asked Robo calmly.

"Hmph, why would I tell you?" the stranger chuckled, "The information would do you little good and do me none. Beside, I think your companion knows, right?"

"Not for sure! You can answer the easy way..." Crono started, raising his blade, "Or we can get the answer the hard way."

"You cannot stop what is happening, only sit and watch. I only wanted to get rid of you for convenience, but there is no reason for me to try fighting two Time Stream Travelers when there is no need."

With that the stranger gently floated into the cold, night air as a black gate crackled open behind him, "See you another time, boy, tin-man." And with that, he and the Gate disappeared.


	2. Spell Unraveled

  


  


  


**Chrono Trigger: Threads of Destiny**

  


  


  


**Chapter 2: Spell Revealed**

1000 A.D.

  


Crono sat down hard on the grass, breathing heavily. After a moment of silence, Crono looked up at the robot and asked, "Are you understanding any of this?"

Robo beeped for a second then sighed and sat down also.

"The reason I came back here was an abnormality in Doan's memory patterns. All the people I knew during my age were forgetting about my definite personality or simply forgetting about me altogether," Robo explained, "When I arrived here I discovered the same phenomenon among people in this time period."

Crono nodded solemnly, "Marle has forgotten about me completely and Lucca... she only remembers what happened before I met Marle."

Robo beeped again, "Yes, she and her family were discussing your odd behavior when I checked on her."

"You didn't let her see you, did you?" Crono asked curiously.

"No, I decided the course would not be a wise one and only end up complicating matters further," Robo continued, "However while they were speaking of you I got the impression you might not have lost your memory of the past events."

Crono shook his head, "No, I don't know why but I still remember everything, but..."

Crono lost himself in though while Robo stared at him, waiting for Crono to explain his last statement. After several moments, Robo beeped and Crono snapped back to wakefulness.

"Huh? Oh, right!" Crono burst out, "Well, my memories have been trying to slip away. There are times when I can feel my memory draining, and it's been coming faster and stronger lately. The only way I'm able to keep my memory is by working with the sword; I originally thought it was because the movements refreshed my memory by reminding me of the times I used these skills... but now I'm not sure."

Robo thought about it for a second, "Did the cloaked man catch you by surprise? When I showed up your sword was far away and he seemed quite capable of taking you one-on-one."

Crono thought about it for a second, "Actually, he first pretended to be my father, which made no sense since it couldn't have gained him anything... and he had to have known that it would only last for a few seconds before I figured it out... "

Robo looked at the blade then beeped in surprise, "That's the Rainbow!"

"Huh?" Crono looked stupidly at him, "Of course it's the Rainbow..."

"Crono, think back, what's the Rainbow made of?"

"The Rainbow shell and the power of the Sun stone," Crono said patiently.

"The _Rainbow shell_," Robo explained, "Remember the Shell's property? It was highly resistant to magic and could either break or cancel any spells thrown at the user!"

Crono looked at the metallic genius for a second then snapped his fingers, "Of course! I've never really thought about it! He must be using magic to make everyone's memory disappear! Very subtly, or we'd all feel it!"

"Right, I'm a robot and magic can't touch my memory by an enchantment," Robo explained, "He also spoke of the 'enigmatic sorcerer' and the 'stupid frog' as well as the both of us."

Crono nodded, "Glenn has the Masamune, which is even more powerful than the Rainbow when it comes to anti-magic."

Robo stood up quickly, "And Magus would probably catch our friend in the act and tear him to pieces if he even attempted to use magic on him, Magus is still the single-most powerful and skilled wizard and sorcerer on this planet."

Crono shook his head, "No, we've fought Magus and he was nowhere near as strong as that guy... I think he could have easily taken the both of us. Beside, how do we know that man isn't Magus?"

Robo shook his head, "No, his speech and action patterns were no match to anything Magus is capable of. As for him fighting Magus... we've never seen Magus fight at full power. When battling him in his castle much of his power was bent on keeping Lavos under control, and after your death Lavos had stolen the majority of his powers away from him."

"Mmm, that would explain his comments. But it doesn't really answer the important questions of who he is and why he's doing this," Crono fumed.

"Correct, we still know nothing of him. We also do not know what has become of Frog or Magus."

Crono looked up into the shining night sky, wondering what had become of Magus and Glenn and wondering if they were looking up at the shimmering sky in an entirely different moment.

  


  


600 A.D.

  


Glenn awoke on a stretcher being carried by two soldiers, facing the starry night sky with it's shining array of brilliant stars, trying to focus on where he was. He sat up a bit, but a sharp pain in his head cut that course of action short, and he fell back lightheaded.

"Wha..." he tried to say.

"No worries, Sir Glenn," one of the soldiers exclaimed, "You fought off Magus and killed his henchman Ozzie! You stopped the attack singlehandedly!"

"Damaged, Magus...?" Glenn murmured, "Have I gotten vengeance for you, my dear Cyrus... Magus... this is not the first time you and I have fought... is it? How, how did I damage Magus?"

"The mighty Dragon you summoned from the earth's depths attacked and damaged Magus. Ozzie was killed and Magus retreated after cursing your name!"

"Dragon? Only the Masamune can defeat Magus... how did I summon a dragon to do this?" Glenn's head hurt horribly, "Where is the Masamune?"

"Don't worry, sir, we have someone already out to get the Masamune from the Denadoro mountains."

Glenn's head ached so badly he couldn't stay awake any longer, even though he heard the soldier saying more about his miraculous powers, Glenn faded into insensibility wondering about the Masamune, something of it tickled his mind.... _Isn't the Masamune broken and un-repairable?! _

  


  


1000 A.D.

  


Crono stood up using the Rainbow as a crutch, the pain was a sharp reminder of what he'd already gone through tonight. Robo was already standing and had been for sometime, not that it mattered to the metallic warrior; he could stand up forever without getting tired or sore... besides, he wasn't the one who'd been getting bounced off trees.

Crono sighed, "We'll need to find Glenn first, he'll be the easiest to find and the most helpful in finding and convincing Magus... the Masamune will be helpful should Magus decide to do something rash."

Robo beeped in agreement.

Crono looked sharply at the robot, "How did you travel to this time period anyway?"

Robo nodded, "I recreated the Key from my memory banks and used it to open the Gate again."

Crono blinked, "But didn't the Gates all close after Lavos' defeat."

Robo shook his head, "You are partially correct, after Lavos' defeat the energy keeping the Gates visible and stable was gone. However I had been studying the Gate areas, and had noticed a dormant energy signal synchronized with the original Gates. My study of the dormant Gate energy led me to believe that the Gates were a phenomenon of nature and the planets evolution. It was only Lavos' power that would activate them.

Lucca developed a Gate Key which would open these time portals, I studied the Gate Key in detail and after analyzing the signal it gave off when activated, I found the wave lengths to match that of Lavos' aura, although on a lesser scale."

Crono shook his head, "Wait... how could Lucca have copied Lavos' patter? And how did Marle activate the first Gate in the fair grounds? it doesn't make any sense at all."

Robo shook his head, "No, Marle's pendant had the residual power of Lavos residing in it, from when Schala charged it with Lavos' power. When the Telepod activated, it enhanced the signal and created a reaction with the dormant Gate energy, opening a doorway where Time wasn't linear. The different gravity drew Marle in, pulling her directly into the Gate. When Lucca created the Gate Key she copied the energy pattern emitted by the Telepod when the Gate opened."

Crono thought about it for a second, it was starting to make some creepy sort of sense, especially since Robo was explaining it; he was much better than Lucca's lectures. Crono looked at the robot and shrugged, "Guess we leave for the fair grounds, then."

Robo nodded, "We can't wait for him to find us, we'll need to act as quickly as possible to save Glenn and find Magus."

Crono sighed and hoped his mom didn't worry about him disappearing for a few days again as he took the Rainbow's sheath from the bench and slung it across his waist. The sound of his blade sliding into it's sheath relaxed Crono and he started walking towards the fair grounds feeling somewhat reassured. Robo took rear guard, moving as silently as possible behind him.

The dark shroud of night covering the town seemed to grow darker and more forbidding as they approached the edges of the city. Robo touched Crono's shoulder and made a worried gesture with his robotic hand, warning Crono to be more careful; the robot must also have felt the tension in the air. Nodding knowingly, Crono rested his hand on his blade's finely-crafted hilt and the pair headed toward the more shadowy part of the street.

With only half a mile of city left before them, and the small forests near the fair grounds in sight, Crono relaxed a little, reminding himself that their foe couldn't possibly have sent anything so quickly against them.

_Click. Click. Click. _Robo and Crono froze in their tracks at the soft sound. Crono's hand tightened the Rainbow's hilt and Robo brought his arm up. The clicking sound grew slightly louder and louder as it approached, Robo pointed right around the closest buildings corner. Crono nodded slowly and mouthed, _Cover me. _Robo nodded understandingly and pulled farther into the shadows.

Crono's heartbeat was so loud in his ears he could hardly hear his opponent, something about it made him feel fear greater than he'd felt in a long time. _Click, click, click._ A small and very familiar shadow appeared around the corner and was followed almost immediately by the rest of the creature. Crono breathed a sigh of relief as the cat looked curiously at them and me-owed softly.

Robo lowered his arm, beeping amusedly while Crono's hand loosed on his hilt. The cat padded it's way towards Crono, who'd always had a way with animals, especially cats.

Crono blinked, then shouted, "Watch out! It's not what it seems!"

The cat jumped at Crono, an aura of pure darkness gathering around it as the Traveler struggled to pull his sword from it's sheath. The shadow cat caught Crono right in the chest before he could even half-pull the Rainbow. Time slowed as the shadow passed right through Crono, his eyes widened as a chill colder than death washed through him. He tried to scream but his voice didn't seem to work as he collapsed to his knees.

"Crono!" shouted Robo, swinging his hand right through the shadow creature. The monster was unaffected by Robo's attack, ignoring the harmless robot as it turned it's attention back to the other worn Traveler.

Crono could only watch in shocked terror as the monster slowly padded back towards him, still ignoring the attacks of Robo, who's arm continued to passing through the shadow as though it didn't exist. The chill in his chest was starting to ease a bit, but Crono was paralyzed by the cold, dead eyes of the shadow; unable to move.

Robo was unsure what to do, his attacks were having no effect and his energy weaponry would only strengthen the power sapping shadow; it had already sucked most of Crono's energy away and was returning for the rest. The shadow was only a few yards away from Crono when Robo jumped between them and activated his florescent light beam.

The monster screamed at the artificial sunlight pierced it's nighttime shroud, and like a cornered cat it's back arched and shadow gathered around it, so intense as to nearly extinguish Robo's light. The darkness around the monster continued to darken and Robo realized his light would soon be overpowered.

Unfortunately for the shadow, Crono had regained his footing and his sword. He knew he was no match in close for the darkness, and he had no desire to feel that cold darkness inside his chest again. With a grim smile, he instead called down lightning. The intense flash of the lightning as it cut deep into the shadow aura blinded even Crono and overloaded Robo's light sensors; it also produced the desired affect. The shadow cat screamed in agony as the lightning broke through to it. 

No longer protected by the dark aura, Crono's magic sliced into the shadow's insubstantial flesh, tearing the monster to bits. The two Traveler's watched dispassionately as the form of the cat melted into nothingness under the remaining power of Robo's light.

Crono sighed wearily, "That was too close."

"Indeed, my memory banks have no data on a creature like this," Robo beeped.

Crono grunted sourly, "Well, it was good thinking on your part to get that light on."

Robo nodded, "It was the only logical solution to fighting an insubstantial shadow. I am just thankful that one my newest features was this high-powered light, though I doubt anyone could have foreseen it's use being so opposite from it's purpose."

Crono laughed, sheathed his blade, and started off towards the fair grounds, "C'mon, we'd better get moving before another one of them shows up!"

The grounds were empty and lifeless when Crono and Robo entered, the last fair had been so spectacular that everyone seemed almost reticent to have another celebration there. So they had sat unused for well over a year now, the blatant lack of care reflected in the undergrowth that was slowly taking back the edges of the park.

Crono and Robo approached the small area at the back of the grounds where Lucca's first Telepod had reacted with Marle's pendant and started the whole adventure that had led to Lavos' demise; it seemed almost anti-climatic now, returning once more to travel through time without Lucca... and without Marle.

Crono felt a cold, metalic hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry Crono, we'll find a way to restore their memory!"

Crono nodded and gave a slight smile as Robo handed him the Gate Key. The Key felt the same as Lucca's, though it was newer and made of finer materials. With a deep feeling of nostalgia, Crono raised the new Gate key and activated it.

For a split second he thought nothing was going to happen, that it had failed and that the Gates really were closed for good, but then the small opening in mid-air appeared slowly widening into the Time Stream that he knew so well.

"Come on, something tells me we've got quite a task ahead of us getting to Guardia castle," Robo stated.

Crono nodded and they both stepped once more into the whirl-tides of time.

After the Gate had closed, a black-cloaked figure walked to the area laughing softly to himself, "Very good, it shouldn't be long now, not long at all."

  


600 A.D.

  


Glenn stared aimlessly out the small window, watching Magus' army gathered at the mouth of the bridge in their tents. The army had fallen farther back than any of the humans had dared hope, some even said they should attack and take back the bridge. The King and Queen had disagreed, however, saying that Glenn hadn't recovered and that without him Magus would simply tear any attacking force to shreds.

It had been two days now since Magus had been forced to retreat, Glenn was nearly recovered and claimed to be able to fight should the army assault them in any way. The frog had been dreaming during the days he was recovering, and what he saw in his dreams disturbed him. A broken sword remade anew, himself mastering the power of an element and using magic, and a group of oddly mixed people whom he knew were his friends, facing a large, all-powerful monster alongside him.

The sword could only be the Masamune, it's beauty and glory were matched by none. The power he mastered he'd found he could consciously control now, it had apparently been the power he'd fought off Magus with. And now...

"So you say the Masamune will return my true memories?" Glenn asked again.

The large, armored person answered him again, "Yes, the Masamune is anathema to magic and will cancel the effects of an enchantment like the one you're under."

Glenn shook his head again, the armored man who would not remove his armor and the spiky-haired boy who said little and held a sword with the air of one who had mastered the blade; these two had arrived earlier this day, sneaking to the castle gates and asking to see Sir Glenn by name.

The spiky-haired boy stood watching him, waiting for the frog to make the decision he knew was right. The armored one showed no emotion, one could not even see his face behind all the metal.

Glenn sighed, "Alas, it does seem that I haveth no choice in the matter. As you have claimed, to the Denadoro mountains we must proceed."

The spiky-one smiled and nodded, the other made an odd noise that sounded strangely familiar to the frog. Glenn chuckled his froggy chuckle and gave his hand out to the red-haired leader. The boy shook his hand with a calloused and worn hand of his own, a hand Glenn recognized instantly as the hand of a battle-tried swordsman.

"You do knoweth that to reach the mountains we must cross the bridge?" Glenn pointed out, "It is suicide to come even to close to that area."

The two looked at each other, the boy shrugged and said, "Not a problem, we'll break through and shake any pursuit."

Glenn shook his head, "Magus is there, even if you had the power to break through, no way doth exist to sneak past that fiend. You're bravery and boldness do you credit now, but they will do you no credit as a corpse."

The other made the odd noise again, "He's right Crono, we might want to consider another way."

The one named Crono nodded but looked semi-disappointed.

Glenn thought for a moment, then sighed, "I think I may be able to get us through, the generals of the Guardian army wish to launch an assault upon the Mystics and drive them across Zenan bridge. I am recovered enough now to use mine power once more. For though you may not believe it, I have the odd ability to use magic. I should be able to hold Magus off long enough for us to get by and maybe avoid him altogether."

Crono looked blankly at him for a second, then burst out laughing. Glenn was quite upset at this, "It is true, I do have the ability to use magic!" 

The other continued to laugh, so Glenn summoned a bit of power and threw a large bubble of water at him. Crono raised his hand without hesitation and a small bolt of lightning pierced the bubble, detonating the watery bomb instantly. 

"I'm sorry, Glenn, I couldn't help but laugh! You'll understand when we get the Masamune back!" he apologized.

Glenn, however, hardly heard him, "So you may use magic as well?! And you?" he asked, looking at the armored one named Robo.

"I cannot use magic exactly, but I have a power close enough to suit."

"Then perhaps we will have a chance 'gainst Magus and his army," Glenn said quietly, "I shalt inform the King and approve the plan quickly, I gainsay that time is of the essence here." 

Crono nodded, "How soon can you get the Guardia army to attack?"

Glenn thought for a moment, "It shall take them at least three hours to gather a force of substantial enough size to challenge the Mystic force, but they know that the Masamune is our only hope and methinks they shall be prepared for an attack tomorrow."

Crono shook his head, "Too long, how about tonight?"

It was Glenn's turn to shake his head, "Never, we would be decimated by the Mystics at night, in close combat in darkened territory they are undefeated. Their eyes, I fear, are much sharper and enhanced by natural magics. The darkness is their greatest ally."

"We can do something about that," Robo claimed, "If you can get a force to attack tonight, I know a way to illuminate the entire battlefield."

The frog pondered it for a moment, then nodded, "I'm placing my trust in you, my friend, I shalt have a force ready by nightfall then."

Glenn walked quickly from the room, heading towards the Knights Hall.

"Looks like our friend is wasting no time," Robo said.

"So how are you going to light up the field?" Crono asked.

"I'm not, you and this are," the robot said, pulling a small sphere from his pack and handing it to Crono.

"What in the...? Hey, it looks a lot like the Sun Stone!"

"Correct, after studying the Sun Stone I had come to understand some of it's properties. The one facet I had managed to recreate was the ability to store and amplify any energy absorbed by the sphere. I developed these in my time to help with lighting and energy conservation. The greater the energy put in, the stronger the light and longer it will last."

"Robo, what else is in that pack?" Crono asked curiously.

"Some first aid materials, a compact tent and some rope and fishing line as well as some tools for self-repair."

"Came prepared I guess...but do you really need any of that stuff?" Crono raised his eyebrow.

"I myself need only the tools, but I had thought the rest might be handy for you, Lucca and Marle," Robo stated plainly.

"You think this has a chance to succeed then?" the King asked.

"Sir, I believe we could damage our foes and retrieve the Masamune in one strong blow," Glenn said.

"But without you what chance will we have against Magus?" the King countered, "You are the only of us skilled in the magic arts!"

"Magus shall follow me, he dare not allow me to reach the Masamune once again. To this end he may also take Flea and Slash to even the odds, leaving his army void of any magical support."

"Hmm, you seem to have thought this through. Have you asked the Knights their opinion on this strategy?" the King asked.

A tall man dressed in golden armor came forward from his position just inside the door. "Sir, the Knights of the Square Table agree with Sir Glenn as this being our chance to strike fear into the hearts of the Mystics and restore the people's faith in Guardia. Too long have we cowered in this castle, holding against the tide of Magus' army. We must move and prove to all that we are truly Knights and not to be angered lightly."

The King sighed and lowered his head in thought, the weeks had not been kind to him; the King was worn and looking rather ragged. His queen sat to his left at all times, but she scarcely looked better than the King. It had been the King's courage and the Queen's kindness that had let the Knights hold out emotionally as long as they had underneath the continual siege, even Glenn had drawn some portion of his strength and will to fight from them.

"Very well," the King said, "You shall have your force. I am trusting you to this task, Captain and you to get back the sword, Sir Glenn. Fail me not comrades."

Glenn bowed, as did the Captain, and then departed the Throne room.

"I shall be leading the attack, Sir Glenn," Captain Tanil said, "We shall strive to break through for a short time to allow you and your friends passage. If you can hold off Magus this should not be too difficult."

Glenn croaked, "Worry not, Sir Knight, my friends and I shall distract Magus and help what little we can with the attack. I feel much rested, though I am still unsure as to the mettle of my new companions."

"Only time shall tell us that, good night to you, Sir Glenn, I shall assemble my Knights and get what rest we may. We'll leave the castle when darkness settles in."

12000 B.C.

  


Melchior downed another shot of the burning liquid, though not a drinker by nature and usually prone to avoid anything alcoholic, the old man found a great need for strong drink that evening during dinner. He looked again at the stranger. He itched to use his magic to check inside the hood, but the last time had been a failure and a warning, Melchior was wise enough to know not to try that again.

The black-cloaked man had said nothing since the tower, and Melchior was slightly disturbed by the whole mess. _What can I do? I saw it with my own eyes! There was no mistaking that...I wish the stranger would say something, he claimed to be here because of it... _

The cloak of the stranger shimmered black as he stood up; all eyes in the room were drawn to his form like iron filings to a lode stone.

"All of you but this old man," the stranger said, pointing to Melchior, "Leave this room now. I will inform you when you may enter again."

Silence greeted his declaration, but the authority in his voice was so absolute that one or two people were up before they knew what they were doing, and soon the trickle turned to a flood until the entire wooden hall was emptied and only the flicker of the flames gave truth to any life in the room.

"I have come here to speak to you, Melchior," he started, "You have seen what shall convince you of the truth of my words. I need your memory now, old Guru. The wisdom that was locked in your memory."

Melchior blinked, "What do you mean?"

The figure trod slowly around the table, until he stood before Melchior. The air around the old man seemed to chill, as though the other radiated cold. Though he could not see the face of the stranger, he could see the eyes. The cold, lifeless eyes. He had seen those eyes before, but they were not the same.

"Impossible..." Melchior started.

"Not impossible, the path I took changed me in this way."

"But, how could any path change you this much?" the astonished old man asked him, "And what has happened to you to change your soul!?"

"The Black Wind," was the reply.

Melchior gasped, "Not possible, no human could have survived that for long! Only Schala was powerful enough to hold the Black Wind from breaking her sanity!"

"Then you should know that I too am able."

Melchior stared for a second, trying with all his human might to make out what hid behind the hood.

"You will not be satisfied until you've seen with your own eyes, will you?" came the resigned reply. Like a statement of testimony, the stranger pulled down his hood and his face stood bare. It was a face that, though changed, Melchior recognized instantly.

"So it is you," Melchior gasped.

"Indeed, and now I need your help," he replied, "I need to get into there."

He pointed out the window, and though Melchior didn't need to look, his eyes were drawn to the floating mass. The Black Omen. How he had hoped to never see or hear of it again.

"But why do you need to go into there?" Melchior asked.

"Because like one other you know who has long been searching, I look for the girl named Schala."

"Another? You mean the wanderer? The one with the silver hair? He came here asking me about Schala. He seemed to know me fairly well, but I didn't recognize him," Melchior fluttered.

"Yes, that is the one I speak of," the other said, "And believe it or not, you really do know him. You know him from a long time ago."

  


600 A.D.

  


The small army had gathered only a mile from the Mystics' camp, their silent travel had been uninterrupted by scouts or sentries; it appeared the Mystic army was not worried about being attacked.

"I worry about this," the Captain of the Knights said, "Are they careless due to pride and their continual attack, or because it is a trap we are about to get snared by?"

"Let us hope 'tis the former," Glenn said, "But methinks it would be wise to leave a path of escape open should the latter prove true."

The Captain nodded and motioned to a few of his men, who ran silent as the wind to contact the other commanders of that evening's attack. The determined Captain nodded to his sergeant, then looked at Glenn. 

The frog seemed wholly absorbed by the camp, especially one of the fires in it. He could barely make out the form of Flea by the fire, talking contemptuously to the men gathered around it. One of the Mystics stood up and seemed to say something, which Flea responded to by incinerating him on the spot. The others around the fire seemed cowed, and Glenn had to wonder why Flea would be hurting his own troops.

The Captain nudged Glenn in the side, looking urgently at him. Glenn nodded quickly and stood, preparing to shout the attack.

"Wait!" came a loud whisper.

Glenn turned to see Crono and Robo sneaking up behind him.

"What is it?" Glenn whispered urgently, "We don't have much time!"

"We're gonna light up the sky now," Crono said.

Glenn blinked then realized it would make a more lasting impression and create more chaos than his shout on the enemy. He nodded sagely to Crono and followed him and the metal warrior closer to the enemy camp. Once within throwing range of the outer camps, Robo stopped and signaled to Crono, who nodded, "Ready when you are!"

Robo pulled out a small orb and pulled his arm back. _Shooom!_ Like an arrow the orb buzzed off into the night, farther and higher than any normal person could have thrown. Crono closed his eyes and held forth his hands. Glenn said nothing, but watched carefully as Crono slowly lifted off the ground, the air around him swirling up and starting to blow faster and harder.

Robo stepped back, as did the frog, unsure what magic the boy was using, but sure that it was not one to be taken lightly. The wind around the three whipped and fluttered like a storm, the sound becoming audible enough for a few of the Mystics to start noticing.

Suddenly Robo shouted, "Now!"

Crono's hands shot up and he shouted in a voice that echoed with power, "Luminaire!"

Right above the middle of the Mystics' camp appeared green tendrils of light, brighter than the sun and hotter than molten metal they spun for a moment or two as if searching, then seemed to stabilize as if something had been decided.

From the center of the tendrils a growing sphere of pure green-white light began to expand, forming outward in a half-sphere upon the ground. There were screams as Mystics got caught in the spell and vaporized, then more as the others ran screaming away from the brilliant death.

The spell began to die out, but the brilliant light did not. From the center of the spell floated up an incandescent sphere, so bright that it illuminated the whole battlefield like a small, white sun. Glenn recognized what metal warrior had thrown into the air just before Crono had attacked, thought it hadn't been lit at the time.

Spell completed, the boy collapsed into a pile on the ground, his energy spent. Behind him Glenn hear the charge of the Knights, their great battle cries and shouts of 'For King Guardia!' rumbling even more loudly than the crescendo of their footfalls. Robo stood over Crono, giving the tired boy a hand up. The spiky-red-haired kid seemed to be fine, saying he was just out of practice with his magic and only needed a second to catch his breath.

Glenn watched as the Knights slamed into the first rank of the confused Mystic defense while trying to keep an eye open for Magus, Flea, or Slash. The titanic battle between the frustrated humans and confused Mystics was starting to heat up as more and more Mystics grabbed their weapons and cheered for Sir Magus as they rushed the enemy.

Glenn stood up, "Come, we'll need to go through now if ever we are to break through!"

"Yes, this is the ideal time! Crono, will you be ok?" Robo asked.

The young boy took a deep breath, stretched a bit, then nodded, seemingly as energetic as before casting his spell, "Yeah, I'm all set if you are."

The three nodded and rushed off towards the hottest spot on the battlefield, Zenan bridge. _I hope, _Glenn thought to himself, _that I shan't end up regretting this course of action!_

  


1000 A.D.

  


Princess Nadia looked into the mirror, sighing over having to spend another afternoon in endless dinners and social gatherings with other nobles and government officials. She absolutely hated these formal gatherings! Hated them with a passion! _I wish I was free again!_ she thought to herself.

A sudden chill in the room brought her mind back from wandering, she looked around quickly, reaching to make sure her crossbow was still hidden beneath her dresser. The white walls of the room glistened in the bright sun light, outside a bird was chirping while the wind made a whistling sound and the trees swayed lazily in the air. Marle wished Crono was here to talk to, she missed him a lot these day, but she never got to see him.

A sudden shadow passed over the room and Marle's eyes went blank, when she shook her head a moment later she rubbed her forehead, _What am I doing? Marle? Who is that? And Crono? _She looked at the expensive clock on the mantle and made a very un-ladylike comment, grabbing her small pendant and rushing out the door.

The room stood still, even the bird and the wind had quieted now... The black-cloaked figure made no sound as it walked across the floor. Stepping over to the dresser he gave a slight chuckle as he picked up a small, round object. Without a word he walked off the same way he'd entered. Despite his departure, it was some time after the portal had closed before the birds and wind dared sing again. 


	3. Forbidden Memories

  


  


  


  


  


  


**Chrono Trigger - Threads of Destiny**

  


**Chapter 3: Forbidden Memories**

  


65,000,000 B.C.

  


Ayla collapsed lifelessly to the hut's rough but warm straw floor, exhausted from her last three sleepless days; she'd had to deal with more disasters and attacks this week than Ioka village had seen in the last year. They had had ice, rain and wind storms continually, several fires and stampedes in the hunting grounds had slowed their gathering of food, leaving the village running mostly on it's food stores, and Reptites had been assaulting the village off and on.

More than any other, Ayla worried about the last. Storms and fires and stampedes were natural phenomenon, she could do nothing about those; the Reptities, however, she was sure had been all but wiped out when Lavos had fallen from the sky. She had been there and had watched the 'fire big' fall down and leave only a huge crater where the Tyrano lair had once stood. More disturbing was the number of Reptites that attacked the village; the number reported had been over one hundred, a number which Ayla had not believed possible until she'd seen the mass with her own disbelieving eyes.

More puzzling was how they fought. They would throw stones and lob flaming boulders and trees at the defenseless village all day, but when rushed by the Iokans, though superior in numbers and strength, they would simply flee into the great forest surrounding the southern area of the continent.

Angered and frustrated, Ayla had taken a squad of the villagers with her and had hunted the Reptites into the depths of the jungles. After nearly a day of following the cold-blooded lizards, Ayla and her group had lost the trail completely, unable to even follow the tracks back out of the forest. They had wandered aimlessly for hours before the monsters had found them. Attacking with a hungered ferocity, the jungles natural inhabitants had appeared from nowhere and killed two men before even Ayla could react.

Ayla and the remaining villagers had managed to fight off the creatures, though at a great cost to their bodies and remaining energy. After being chased off or killed, the remainder of the hungry beasts followed Ayla and her men as they searched for the exit to the forest. The Iokans had been frightened and confused by the missing Reptites and lost purpose, then surprise attacked by phantom-like, wild beasts, and now they were completely lost in the foreign jungle; Ayla was impressed with their stamina, both mentally and physically.

The ragged team eventually found the familiar open plains of grass again, and after taking bearings had found themselves mysteriously on the other side of the Reptite forest and as far from Ioka as possible. When the men had suggested setting up camp and going home on the morrow, Ayla had rebuked them, reminding them of the forests native beasts.

Not desiring to be creature food, the Iokan group had pushed relentlessly across the barren plains, taking no rests and never slowing down, though their bodies screamed for sleep and their bellies cried out in vain for food.

They had all made it back to Ioka, each returning to their homes, too tired even to notice or think about the strange reaction the villagers had when thy returned. Ayla had the farthest to travel, her hut being on the northern edge of the village; she had only now collapsed, too tired even to sleep and too worn out to move.

Closing her eyes and willing sleep to come, Ayla struggled to ignore the pain wracking her body and the wounds still burning on her skin. She heard the hut's door flap open and silently cursed, "Ayla too tired to help, need rest."

"Oh I think that was the general idea, my dear."

Although she didn't recognize the voice, she knew by the speech it was no one from this time period. Jumping to her feet, however, proved to be more than she could handle, tripping and falling hard to her knees, still trying to focus on the talking shadow.

"Now, now, don't waste what little energy you have left!" he said, "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

"Who you," Ayla said flatly, old memories flashing into her mind then wavering and fading as though through murky waters. Ayla tried to remember them more clearly, forcing her worn out mind to focus. Slowly the memories began to take a more clear shape.

"Hmph, exactly why I'm here. Unbelievable that your simple, limited mind would be able to even partially reject my memory changing magic! I must know how you are doing it. And to test those theories, I'm afraid I'll need to take you with me."

Ayla stood, though barely, and faced the man, "You will no take Ayla easily!"

"You think to challenge me with that battered body of yours?" came the man's sarcastic reply, "I think you're underestimating my power and overestimating your own!"

Ayla didn't wait for more chat, throwing herself forward into a roll, trying to get close to the shadow-man before he could use any magic on her, she had fought enough wizards and sorcerers to know that your best hope was surprise and speed. The man simply faded into the darkness, disappearing from the rolling cave-woman's view. She broke the roll, landing lightly on her feet, sniffing the cold, night air for his scent. 

She threw herself backwards, pulling herself into a mid-air roll and throwing her leg out into the darkness as she fell. A resounding thud as her foot hit something solid and sent it flying was followed shortly by a sour grunt and bit-off curse.

The stranger faded back in from the darkness, holding his side in pain, more pain than could have been caused by Ayla's single blow.

"Errggh...you'll pay for that you barbarian! This time you and your friends are no match for me! This time I have his power as well! You cannot beat me!"

Ayla wasted no time thinking on the words of the lunatic she fought, immediately dashing towards the other once more, ignoring the pain and stress her body screamed at her. Focusing his eyes on the running woman, the stranger growled and raised his hand.

"Fool, I thought only to wear you out without hurting you...but you leave me no choice!" he exclaimed, a wave of energy flowed from his hand, sending Ayla flying through the air to crash into the hut's wall, her face being pelted with all the loose straw and splinters from the floor.

The fighting in the hut had attracted the attention of the villagers, and before Ayla could even get up off the floor, Kino rushed in, club in hand, "Ayla! You ok?"

"Kino! Run, get out of here!" Ayla shouted.

The stranger wasted no time, fading out and then in right behind the frightened cave-man. Kino exclaimed in surprise and swung his club right into the other face. The stranger caught the club mid-swing, a loud slap resounding through the hut like a death bell; he then grabbed Kino by the neck, lifting the cave-man off the floor and began to crush his neck.

"No!" Ayla shouted, rushing him.

"Move another step and I'll kill him," the stranger said dispassionately, his other hand summoning a writhing mass of lightning between it's fingers, "Come with me and I'll spare his life..."

Kino said nothing, sweat rolling down his face as he struggled to breath, his eyes focused on the mass of electricity mere inches from his unprotected face.

Ayla sighed and sat down hard, "Ayla come with you. Word of honor..."

He laughed, dropped Kino, and flung his lightning filled hand towards Ayla. She didn't even move as the magic approached; though she screamed when the lightning flowed through her already-worn body, taking what little strength she had left and shattering it. Ayla collapsed into a life-less body upon her hut's floor, not moving and only barely breathing.

Chuckling darkly, the stranger raised his hand and Ayla's comatose corpse floated silently towards his outstretched hand. Grabbing her waist and carrying her lightly under one arm, the stranger floated backwards as a large, blue and black portal formed from the air. Kino couldn't even act, only stare as the stranger and Ayla disappeared into the Gate.

Silence dominated the village, no one spoke and even the air refused to blow... it was several moments before one sound broke the silence. A window shattering cry of pure anguish from the damaged throat of the cave-man Kino, "AYYYLLLAAAA!!!"

  


12,000 B.C.

  


Melchior shivered. The night's air was cold and Melchior wished he'd thought to bring along a thicker cloak. His traveling companion didn't seem to even notice the biting cold, ignoring everything but the hulking Black Omen as they walked. The two of them had been walking for several hours now, walking in as straight and direct a path to the Black Omen as the ground would allow; Melchior feared the Black Omen's return and knew something had to be done about it, but his companions focus and intensity were a bit frightening.

They came upon the edge of a huge cliff, one of the many new landscape features they owed to Lavos. His companion lifted his face to the sky once more, as if listening.

"This is taking too long," the other said, "I'm going to take us there by a more direct, though dangerous, route."

Melchior looked at him blankly for a moment, "More direct... whatever do you mean?"

The other said nothing, but lifted one of his gloved hands; a green-white glow enveloped his hand as he muttered some words in an ancient dialect that even Melchior didn't recognize. Suddenly the greenish glow spread around both of them, creating a bubble of force which the man lifted by raising his hand higher.

"Hold on, old man, I wouldn't want you to die from a heart-attack before you can get me into the Omen," came the humor-less sound of the travelers voice, "If anything should approach leave it to me."

Melchior bit back an acid reply to the others insult, somewhat annoyed and wondering why he was willing to help the lost man. 

_On the other hand,_ Melchior thought, _I'm no longer in my prime, and even my magic is no longer what it once was..._

The force bubble lifted smoothly off the ground as Melchior still struggled with his introspection, rising above the ground by at least 5 times their own height. With a small gesture, Melchior's reticent companion sent them flying along the ground.

"Odd, I don't feel any movement at all... I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me where you learned this magic?" Melchior asked his companion.

The other said nothing, staring darkly at the nightmarish floating castle in the clouds. Melchior sighed pensively, he'd always wanted to travel and have an adventure, but with perhaps more lively traveling companions.

Their travel was definitely much swifter now, the rough, broken ground flowing by at an alarmingly fast rate. Melchior wondered why his companion hadn't used this form of transportation from the start.

"Because I was hoping to get near the Black Omen without _her _noticing," his companion said plainly.

"Rrrg, would you mind not reading my mind," Melchior asked, "It's very impolite and rather disturbing."

The other turned to face him, expressionless yet with haunted eyes, "I don't read your mind, you scream your thoughts so loudly I cannot help but hear them."

Their eyes locked for a moment, their wills hovering threateningly on the edge of a battlefield neither wanted to take part of. Finally Melchior looked away, knowing the other was still too strong willed and stubborn to back down from his elders, and not wanting to start a battle he might not win.

"You have too much to lose, Melchior, that is why you would have lost."

The other turned to stare at the Black Omen once more, his look and mind far away. The old guru stared at him for a moment, then turned to face their closing destination, it's glimmering lights overwhelmed by the physical and spiritual waves of shadow and black magic emanating from it.

They were coming close now, it's shadow no more than a few miles away; Melchior sighed inwardly as he prepared to visit a place he had not visited in many, many years.

As they floated closer, the darkness of the Black Omen's shadow nearly covering them, Melchior could have sworn he heard the other mutter a word softly under his breath...

"Schala..."

  


End of Time

  


Gaspar shook his head awake once more, breaking the eternal lethargy he felt these days, coming back to the here and now. To Gaspar however, the here and now was yesterday and tomorrow. He had long since learned how to use the abilities granted to those who stood at the End of Time, among them his ability to follow what was happening to any given Time Stream.

Gaspar sighed, "Melchior, are you always were willing to gamble. Even I cannot tell them apart when the other is trying, are you sure you've won the flip or are you on the losing end this time?"

"You worry too much," came a cheery voice, "And don't try to sound so wise either, there's no one here to show off for and you're just as bad when it comes to gambling."

Gaspar grunted, not even bothering to turn to face the voice, "You gambled heavily on them as well, but it all turned out in the end."

Spekkio, the First Mystic and the first user of magic grunted, "No, you gambled, I knew they were only tapping a potential given to them."

Gaspar turned in surprise, "Potential given to them? You've never spoken of that... what do you mean?"

The other stood staring off into the space of time in his red Nu form, the closest to his true form, "I mean what I said. When the three first came here I sensed a power in them, a power beyond the normal strength of will and inner power needed to properly wield magic. They became so strong so fast, and it seemed whatever level of strength was needed was the level of strength they reached."

Gaspar leaned back against his lamp-post, "True, I had noticed it... their inner strength was rather amazing, and their power was much greater than your average person could attain so quickly."

Spekkio nodded, "And now all this. Neither you nor I saw this one coming. Action and reaction, funny how someone so obvious totally slipped our minds. And how something so dangerous slipped our foresight."

Gaspar shook his head, "We never could have guessed on an anger and thirst for revenge so great that it could actually tear apart the prison she'd formed for herself; a prison so complete even I was sure there were no holes left open."

Spekkio laughed, "Don't be so foolish, there's no such think as a complete prison. And beside that, I wouldn't call what she'd formed around herself a prison. Looking back, what's happening now makes perfect sense."

Gaspar grunted, "You may have a point there, but..."

A sudden dimming in his lamp and the pillars of light shut the old man up instantly. Gaspar and the mystic turned as one to face the pillars as a Gate opened right above the other nine shining time gates.

A man floated out from the intruder Gate. A man Gaspar knew but had never met, a man Gaspar had met but never known; his black cloak flowed like a poisonous, oily liquid, his shadowy presence absorbing and feeding from the feeble light surrounding him, his cold, red eyes shining like a blood-stained, lost soul from beneath the dark hood.

"You two are still hanging around here," the darkness stated flatly, "I have use for this place, you can leave it now with your lives or you may die here and be absorbed by the Time Stream."

Gaspar and Spekkio looked at him in surprise, shocked that he would chance coming here to face both the First Mystic and the Guru of Time as though they were nothing more than a pair of magical novices. Both were too old to be surprised by his arrival, surprise is half the battle, as Spekkio had put it.

Gaspar laughed, "You're bluffing, if you really had enough power to defeat both Spekkio and I, you wouldn't be giving us the chance to flee, you'd have killed us already."

Spekkio said nothing, staring intensely at the floating figure.

The floating man said nothing, only waited patiently, waiting for the guru and the mystic to make their move. Gaspar glanced sideways at Spekkio, watching for a reaction from the mystic; he'd been staring at the stranger without a single word since his arrival and Gaspar was worried he might be missing something important.

Finally the stranger said, "My patience is limited, if you do not leave now I will be forced to remove you."

Finally, Spekkio spoke, "You may beat us, but in the end they'll defeat you."

"Perhaps you believe so, First Born, but they are split up and forgetting their past. Nothing can stop that now, the boys sword will only protect him for so long."

"Don't forget the Masamune," Spekkio smiled grimly, "It's power is not something even you can mess with lightly."

"Ah yes, the Masamune," he smiled, "Foolish frog, putting the blade back where is came from... I do so hope for their continued safety, but those mountains can be very dangerous."

Spekkio's look darkened, "What dirty trick do you have in mind for them?"

"That," he said, "is none of your business. Now, are you leaving, or dying?"

Spekkio smiled, "Neither."

Gaspar readied himself physically and magically, waiting for the black-cloaked man to make the first move. He didn't have to wait long. The stranger didn't even bother to gesture or speak as he summoned a wave of water which swirled it's way around the guru and the mystic. The two experienced magic-users worked in perfect unison to erect a solid magical shield; just in time the green glow formed to stop the crashing waves of the watermagic.

Their opponent continued with the watery barrage for a moment before calling down a hail of firestones with a dramatic overhand gesture. The stones impacted with the shield and the water, creating hisses and steam in the swirling tides and green-white detonations along the magical shield.

Gaspar nodded to the mystic, who got his message, _We need to attack, playing defensively will only take us so far._ Summoning all his power and endurance, Gaspar took over the entire shield. The black-cloaked man didn't even blink as Spekkio's barrage of ice crystals swarmed towards him.

He didn't bother to waste the energy to create a shield, merely redirecting some of the firestones to collide with the ice, creating visually stunning flashes of red-blue-white detonations as the magicks canceled each other out.

Spekkio was one of the most skilled and powerful magic users in history, but forming a thick wall of clouds overhead while continuing with the ineffective ice assault was taking more out of the mystic than Gaspar cared to think about. For that matter, maintaining the shield was taking more out of the tired old guru than he cared to think about.

Their opponent ignored the clouds, continuing relentlessly with his fiery assault on the pair's weary defenses. Gaspar was finding each hit to the shield to be more and more draining, soon it would reach the point where only his life-force would be sustaining the shield, his magical energies depleted.

Spekkio's foresight saved the old guru, however, as sheets of rain began to fall from the mass of dark clouds gathered above. He made the downpour so heavy as to put out even the magical fires of the fire-storm falling from the sky; Gaspar found himself no longer needing to maintain the full power of the shield, and quickly grasped the magical flows of the ice barrage, maintaining the ice assault.

The cloaked one's face became even more grim, as though he had decided a cruel and nasty fate that even he did not entirely approve of. Spekkio, however, gave him no time to put that fate to the test, using his newly freed magical resources to call down dozens of bolts of incadecent lightning upon their foe. The dancing lightning scored on their opponent, who cried out in pain as the lightning arced and raged through his body.

He was, unfortunately, made of tougher stuff than that.

With a mighty heave, the cloaked one threw his hands and feet wide, creating a shield around him, which the lightning continued to dance around. Breathing heavily and sweating, the slightly smoking, cloaked man threw back his hood and gave Spekkio such a hate-filled look that the guru went cold from the mere emotional backlash.

The First Mystic was not, however, easily shaken, "Your victory, if victory it will be, cannot be won lightly. I won't stop you if you leave now, but challenge us again and I will not hold back."

The old guru stared at the magic-user, his voice and inflection had significantly changed from the goofy, fun-loving mystic he usually was; this being was one of incredible knowledge and power, an ancient Wisdom who had watched countless wars and seen countless people, nations, heros, friends, and foes face their end.

Their opponents only smiled, "I think you believe you still know me, First Born. I have changed in many ways, not the least of which I owe to your tutelage of the Time Stream Travelers and their timely defeat of Lavos. I think I will show you some of my true power..."

Spekkio looked bleakly at Gaspar and whispered, "When he's at the peak of his concentration we'll need to make a run for the nearest Gate Pillar. I'm counting on you to open it while I keep him busy."

Gaspar shook his head, "He's only bluffing, we damaged him once and we can..."

"No! I can sense his power, I never realized that black wizard had such powers hidden away, nor that Lavos could have sealed them. His level of skill is at least equal to my own, and his true power is much, much greater, I can sense that now. Our only hope is to run and find Crono and the others."

"Plans will avail you little, you and I both know your chances are nil."

The black one raised his hands, the shield surrounding him starting to glow a fuzzy, reddish color; his hands began to pulse with pure magical energy, a power so great that even the untempered magical energy was visible.

"Go!" Spekkio exclaimed.

Both of them shot towards the nearest Gate Pillar, Gaspar raised his hands and started chanting a spell to open the portal with a perfection born of practice, knowing full well he was taking too long and unable to rush the ritual without chancing failure. Spekkio, knowing that Gaspar needed time, turned back to face their still concentrating opponent, gathering and focusing his power around the mage in preparation for his final spell of the battle.

The black mage turned back towards them, his power gathered and waiting. The old guru was sweating profusely, his concentration as intense as his foe's magic. The mystic's face was strained, his own power strained to the limit.

The picture-perfect moment of balance between the three magic-users lasted only an eternal second, shattered by the cry of the First Mystic's final, desperate move, "_Dreamless!_"

The mage was taken aback for a moment, surprise and anger flashing like Spekkio's lightning across his face, "Wha...?"

The fore-wash of energy from the spell was alone enough to stain the dark mage's shield with waves of force, the color's swirling along the shield intensifying a dozen-fold as the spell formed it's pyramidal plane's of magic around the muffled sorcerer.

"Hurry Gaspar," shouted Spekkio, "this will not hold him long!"

Quite on the contrary, the spell seemed to be wearing their foe's shield down at an alarmingly fast rate as the four elemental magic planes forming the pyramid spun their deadly dance around the rainbow-hued shield.

"There!" Gaspar shouted as his eyes shot open, "Stand back, the portals opening!"

The familiar blue-black Time Gate opened, the fruit of their efforts awakened.

"Go!" shouted Spekkio, "Get into the portal now! I'll follow right behind you!"

Gaspar didn't hesitate, knowing how dangerous hesitation was, jumping straight into the center of the portal, his reflexes ready to close the glowing vortex as soon as the First Mystic was through.

Spekkio wasted no time, running towards and jumping into the Gate.

Just as Gaspar was closing the Gate the Dreamless spell came to a close, the final wave of the multi-elemental power collapsing in upon the epicenter of the glowing shield spell.

Gaspar made the fatal mistake of hesitating a split second to confirm their opponents death.

"You won't get away so easily!" shot the reply from the center of the still swirling energies, along with a beam of pure magical energy; their foes final attack. Gaspar immediately let the portal close, his mind reeling form the though of anyone surviving a full-scale Dreamless attack with Spekkio's full power behind it.

Just as the Gate closed Gaspar was blinded by the bright light of the beam, his old and sensitive eyes overwhelmed by the explosion of sheer brilliance, his mind and conciousness fading away with the quickly fading light.


	4. To Never Again Be a Hero

  


  


  


  


  


  


**Chrono Trigger - Threads of Destiny**

  


**Chapter 4: To Never Again Be a Hero**

  


600 A.D.

  


The chill winds of the Denadoro mountains were a welcome sensation for the three warriors, they had spent the last two days hiding and traveling at night while eluding Mystic scouts, but even in the dark of the night there seemed to be no lack of heat. Glenn had spoken to the two travelers of Magus' apparent weather control upon the lands he held. Magus had purposefully caused drought and famine, taking the supplies of the towns for his army, according to the Guardian spies. Crono and Robo had wisely kept their mouths shut, not wanting to upset the frog with comments and questions that he was not prepared to cope with, memory-drained as he was.

"Less than a nights travel 'till we reach yon mountain," the frog croaked, "Methinks now would be a most appropriate time for you to explain your plan for our reaching the top."

Crono coughed, "Well...I guess we're just going to climb up and retrieve the Masamune."

Glenn stared incredulously at the spiky-haired youth, "You must be joking! What of Magus' scouts! Surely he must have sent out troops to cover the area, knowing of our destination!"

Robo shook his head, "Magus has not yet returned to his army, he currently is still missing. Flea and Slash and his other generals are not sending out scouts, those are all deserters we've been avoiding."

Glenn refused to believe it, "They know what would happen to them should Magus return! His wrath would most likely consume them and their families!"

"Most likely they are simply sick of fighting, and sick of dying. After our last assault they must be feeling the danger, and without Magus to defend them, they still fear the possibility of others among the Guardian troops who may use magic against them."

Although the armored-one's argument made sense, Glenn still was having trouble sorting it out. "Magus was ne'er a bad general, he always left orders and power with who and whom he saw fit and proper. He was always looked up to and respected, and although he never had a great love of the Mystics, he did seem to prefer them as company. If what you say is true...Magus has truly changed, he seems to no longer care of his armies' opinion, as if he was accustomed to blind obedience and unquestioning loyalty..."

Crono looked speculative for a moment, but shook his head and pointed to the mountain, "That's our goal for now, too much thinking and talking is a bad habit you know."

Robo laughed, "Always a man of few words and fewer thoughts."

Crono winked.

***

The mountain passes were no different than Crono remembered them, though the grass seemed a bit less green and the water not quite as clear. Numerous monsters and animals still made this peaceful land their home; goblins slept beneath trees while Freelancers sat in groups, squawking and sharpening their blades.

The three would-be hero's warily watched the antics of Mount Denadoro's inhabitants behind an out-cropping of boulders near the mountains foot. Crono nodded his head slowly towards the bird; Glenn's eyes narrowed as he started to slide his sword from his sheath. Robo's metal hand raised and stalled the two fighters, he leaned forward and whispered in near inaudible tones.

"If Magus is really waiting for us, the most logical course of action would be to avoid any and all fights possible to keep him from learning of our arrival," he whispered.

"How dost though plan to sneak past yon fiends!?" the frog croaked softly, "T'would require crossing that field, which could be no more open to their scrutiny!"

Robo turned to Crono, who sighed and nodded to Glenn.

"Mehopes you have an idea," the frog sighed, "For I see no way around it."

"Actually, you're going to get us across, my dear frog," the robot beeped.

***

His sword was already quite sharp, but Boddie's sharpening was a never-ending task; he and the other Freelancer's joy of the feel of stone on metal was as entrancing as a drug, as was the story swapping that made the time more pleasant. It was rather upsetting that no one came to the mountains anymore, he and his brethren were growing quite bored, no longer finding any fun in attacking the worthless goblins.

Boddie sighed, they wouldn't leave the mountain for sport, and sport wouldn't come to the mountains...the life of a Freelancer was one tough decision after another.

A crashing in the bushes across the clearing caught the immediate attention of each lancer. Silence ruled the moment. Suddenly a pair of Guardian knights came forth, looking worn out and haggard. They tried to make a mad dash for the only easy way off the mountain, the small, easily guarded entrance. 

With a chorus squawk, the entire group of Freelancers rushed the terror stricken knights..._Finally, _Boddie though, _some prey!!!_

***

"Knights?!" whispered Robo harshly, "What are they doing here!"

"Must be the warriors sent to retrieve the Masamune..." Glenn said, "I fear I am honor bound to aid them, though it go against our former plan."

Crono nodded as did the metallic warrior, and the frog felt a rush of relief; he'd not really wanted to ruin their chances for the Masamune by his rash behavior, hence alienating them.

As one the group of fighters dashed forth from the rocks, rushing to the defense of the defending Knights. The Freelancers had just reached the two Knights, barely even able to defend themselves from the Lancer's onslaught.

_We'll never make it in time! _thought Frog, _They're too worn to hold out even a moment!_

Crono had apparently decided the same thing, stretching for his hand and sending several bolts of lightning into the middle of the Lancers, sending several flying and the others squawking from backlash and surprise. The lightning calling the Lancer's attention to the real threat, they forgot about the Knights and recklessly rushed the trio.

Glenn had barely time to pull his sword from his sheath before three Lancer's assaulted him, swinging their curved blades like extensions of their arms. Two of the blade he managed to dodge, and the third he took on the side of his own. Using the momentum of his opponents blade upon his own, he swung the blade in a wide arc downward and around, gaining speed and strength as he round-housed his sword. Before the others could get their blades up, Frog's sword managed to slice one across the chest, send the other flying backwards as the last lost his blade.

Without a seconds pause, Glenn jumped forward, kicking the unarmed one in the stomach while trying to swing his blade around to finish off the second Lancer. The kicked Lancer fell to it's face, coughing and choking; the second one recovered and had just started forward in time to meet and barely turn Glenn's blade from his neck.

Off guard, the Lancer tried to meet and turn Glenn's second blow...

Not quite; Glenn's gleaming metal bashed aside the smaller curved blade and bit into the shoulder of the Freelancer with a sickening sound. The bird cried out and fell back, clutching at it's shoulder.

Glenn jumped back, his sword at the ready and waiting for the next opponent. He shouldn't have bothered. Robo was surrounded by four unconscious Lancer's, and Crono was surrounded by several unconscious and several charred looking bodies. The two Knights stared mindlessly, quaking with fear of something unimaginable, not even seeing their three saviors.

As soon as Glenn moved towards them, however, the two suddenly seemed to awaken. A look of pure terror crossed their faces, and with a scream of mighty proportions, the two ran off and away from the mountain too fast for the three to react or give chase.

"Methinks we should be more careful from here on," said Glenn, "I think we would not relish an ambush by whatever scared those poor men."

Robo and Crono nodded their agreement, both wondering what could have made the battle hardened Knights lose their sanity. 

The paths were narrow, but surprisingly empty. The group started up the steeper parts of the hill and the cliff, ears and eyes searching, ready for everything except what they found.

Dead bodies. Dozens of Freelancers and goblin corpses, native birds and animals. Their corpses, however, were old, and the lack of blood on the ground proved this not to be their place of death. Someone had been piling the bodies here...as a warning.

Robo beeped, "I see...this is like a refuse pile, someone has been tossing the bodies over the side of that cliff," Robo pointed up, "and they've been collecting here."

"That cliff..." murmured Glenn, "Is that not the entrance before the cave of the Masamune?"

Robo nodded calmly, "Yes, my memory details the maps exactly, and whoever has been disposing of these corpses is obviously waiting for us there."

Crono's eyes narrowed grimly, "Then we shouldn't keep our host waiting."

  


2300 A.D.

  


Gaspar awoke to a rather unpleasant smell; it was a smell he'd never directly encountered before, and from what little experience he now had, not one he'd be likely to revisit with any speed. The last time he'd smelled this was upon the coming of the Travelers after their adventures through the sewers and their travel via the Wings of Time to his island.

His mind still reeling from the shock of time travel and the backlash of the dark one's energy wave, it took Gaspar a moment to remember the details of his escape...his and Spekkio's.

Looking around desperately, Gaspar spotted the red form lying a half-dozen feet away. The form didn't move.

"Spekkio!" Gaspar gasped, crawling over to the inert form, "Hey! Spekkio! Wake up!"

Coughing, the red form sat up slowly, only to fall right back on it's back again, "Gas...par? I don't have much longer."

"Hold on, old friend," Gaspar growled, "You can't go dying on me yet!"

"....im don't le...way!" came muffled voices from several tunnels down.

Gaspar turned towards the voices just in time to get thrown to the ground by a large blur. With a painful thud Gaspar crashed to the ground, his ears ringing. A muffled curse proved he was not the only one to hit the dirt.

Gaspar struggled to his feet slowly, trying to find the person who'd knocked him down. Using a slight touch of magic to enhance his vision, Gaspar was able to make out the vague form of a younger man, struggling to get to his feet while scanning the darkness around him.

His eyes centered on Gaspar and a wave of fear and anger surrounded the boy as he started to gather a surge of wild magic. Gaspar barely had time to cry out and erect a barrier before the force crashed against him. The blast was strong and Gaspar was totally worn thin, his shields couldn't have held the magic for long. Before they cracked, however, the boy pulled his force; the aura surrounding him softened slightly.

Before Gaspar could say anything the boy shifted and make a hushing motion. A moment later, a group of men treaded towards their tunnel. Gaspar made no sound, the boy was utterly still, and Spekkio was much too quiet for Gaspar's comfort. The group walked closer, flashing their lights around the tunnel, Gaspar made a desperate gamble and formed a barrier of light bending around their small group, making their small area look just like more empty tunnel.

The men flashed their lights down the tunnel, then decided on another route and headed down the right tunnel, murmuring under their breath.

As soon as the men were out of hearing Gaspar dashed to Spekkio's side.

"B...oy," Spekkio gasped, "Come here...for a moment..."

The tone in Spekkio's dying voice brooked no hesitation nor disobedience, and the boy stumbled to his side, favoring his left foot.

"Wh..what are you?" the boy stammered.

"Don't...worry," the First said, "You'll understand in a second."

Spekkio's hand raised up and touched the boys forehead, and Gaspar felt a slight surge of power. After a moment of quiet Gaspar got comfortable and waited for the mind contact to finish. The oppressive quiet of the sewers was pressing in on the old guru, his body and mind worn out and his nerves stressed to the max; the old man started to doze off, losing his hopeless battle against the waves of sleep.

***

Rune's mind seemed to lapse into it's first peace in years, ever since the day...

_Don't worry about that now, _came the though of another, _you'll just get yourself more wrapped up in the stress and tension._

_Who are you? _Rune projected the thought aloud into the void of his mind.

_Ack! No need to shout, young one, I'm not deaf you know._

_Sorry...I don't understand anything yet, _Rune thought.

_That's because it's beyond rare for someone in this time to actually be born with the innate ability to forge the forces of nature, _the other though back calmly.

_You understand my powers? _came the boy's incredulous reply.

_Where I come from, powers such as your and mine are quite common place._

_I would like to go to that land. Here everyone wants to find me and learn what makes me able to use these powers, _Rune thought angrily, _they want to turn me into a guinea pig for the greater good I suppose._

_I brought you here to two reasons, Rune, _came the other's reply, _One is because you needed a base instruction in how to use your 'magic'. Without this base knowledge you would be like a leaf trying to stay above the waters of rapids._

_And the other? _Rune asked back, curious.

_I am dying, _came the other's reply, _I was not supposed to die as of yet. To put it quite simply, what your people now have legends about, things like goblins and trolls and the like are real in my _time, _they are called Mystics._

_So monsters exist? And you're from another time? _Rune asked skeptically.

_Yes, all stories that last that long have at least a grain of truth to them. Since my time here is limited, let me be brief. The Mystics were born of the planet's energy, long before humans even walked the lands. The original Mystics had no need of sexes or mating to create young, we were born of the planet. It took long for us to adapt, however, and soon only a handful of those who were born of the planet were still alive._

_More and more that number diminished, until only the very first of the first was left alive, knowledge and power like no other among the Mystics belonged to him, for in being the first he'd seen creation itself. In any case, that First Mystic is me. I was not fated to die as I am now, but it's too late, _finished the voice.

_So what do you want me to do? _Rune asked.

_This is where you must make a difficult decision, _started the voice.

***

Gaspar awoke suddenly to a great feeling of danger. Before he could truly react, however, he heard a muffled grunt followed by someone exclaiming something in a whisper. Only then did he realize their proximity, as several others turned their attention to the old man at their feet. The one closest to Gaspar looked right into his eyes, the guru's own surprise and wariness mirrored in the man's eyes.

Gaspar made the worst choice possible for the delicate situation; he tried to cast a spell. Before the shield spell could even be started, the man panicked and bashed Gaspar forcefully in the side of his head. The guru fell back, his vision starting to fade away as it had so many times this fateful day. 

  


***

  


Jonnate looked for a moment at the old man he'd just knocked out, wondering if he was right in assuming the geezer was starting a spell.

"Nice move Jon," one of his partners said, "I wouldn't wanna get zapped by whatever these Bogies can pull off!"

"Cap'n, this _is_ the same boy...and this other thing feels pretty real, looks like it's almost dead too!" said one of his other men.

Jonnate was proud of his rag-tag group of hunters. After their initial surprise, finding the boy locked in some form of stasis next to some goofy looking goblin from their worst nightmares, the men had turned back into the pro's they were trained to be. Quickly blindfolding and tying up the geezer, then doing the same to the boy, they'd managed to secure the area with a surprising efficiency.

"Found it!" one of the men exclaimed, digging something out of the boys shirt with a pair of tongs. The small piece of paper he found was very carefully set on the ground and unfolded with the metal implements. Tommy, their map expert, sat down carefully next to it, muttering and staring for a few minutes, then sighed almost ecstatically.

"Found it! At long last! Call down your reinforcements, captain, we know the exact location of the Bogie base at last!" he cried happily. 

"Well, it's about damned time!" Jonnate grinned, pulling out his comm device and turning the signal on, "They should be down here in a few minutes, lets get moving and see what kinda defenses these Bogies know how to put up!"

"Hold your horses, we can't leave these guys un-tended, and we sure as hell don't wanna let the boy get away again. Last report he reached the ninth level on the power scale, remember?" Tommy explained.

"Bah! We all know those sensors had to be wrong, no one can reach above even seven!" one of the men scoffed.

"Don't be foolish, we're messing with Bogies, and no one's sure of the limitations of their talents, haste will only get you killed. Besides, we gotta make sure autopsy gets this corpse, I know I've never seen anything like it."

"You think they can summon stuff from other worlds or something, captain?"

"Who knows, but when the boy wakes up, I plan on finding out. You got the damper set up?" the captain asked apprehensively.

"It's up and ready, captain, nothing even a level nine can do will break through that warding circle."

The 'warding circle' was a small field shaped by the careful placement of several small devices that could created a field which would contain the energy used by the Bogies. The developers and heads of the hunting groups still wouldn't allow the power to be referred to as 'magic', so groups had just come to call it the 'bogie talent'.

A clatter of footsteps coming from father down the sewer welcomed the group of men Jonnate had been waiting for. He turned to meet them, wanting to know how they'd gotten here so quickly, and stopped. These weren't his men; they were all dressed in black suits, wore black sunglasses, and carried the aura of professionals. A dread filled Jonnate, he knew these men, if only by black rumor and fearful whispers. These 'men in black,' were the governments own hunters, trained assassins who would sacrifice their lives to complete a mission, and who's ruthlessness was more than just legendary; and they supposedly sported one other training as well.

"You will stay there, captain, your discovery of the base was most useful, and you will be... rewarded. We will handle the base ourselves, do not interfere. And do not allow the boy or old man to escape; or the corpse to be so much as touched." the man heading the column stated coldly.

Jonnate just nodded, not trusting himself to answer. One of the men moved to look at the map briefly; he reached out and grabbed the paper before Jonnate could react with a started cry. Strangely, the paper did not explode into fire as they usually did when a non-Bogie touched them.

He map-holder nodded curtly to the others and silently led them down a different tunnel, their light slowly fading as the now-silent group stalked their prey. Jonnate and his group simply stood motionless and nearly petrified as the men in black disappeared silently down the dark, cold tunnels of the sewer. Jonnate murmured silently to himself, not pleased with this turn of events in any fashion. 

  


***

  


Skye couldn't shake the feeling of dread growing in her mind. She'd already warned security, and they'd tightened all the spells and strengthened the wards. They'd all learned to trust in Skye's premonitions, but despite all their preparation, the dread feeling still stood strong in Skye's mind. The entire camp was on guard now, for while some were starting to question Skye's reliability, none were willing to bet their fragile safety and freedom on a false sense of security.

The small sewer area they occupied was very closely guarded and warded to detection by regular vision and senses, keeping the normal search patrols that combed the dark sewer tunnels looking for them away and believing the occupied zone was still uninhabited sewer. The group of magic-users who'd gathered with their guardians and close friends and family, referred to by the hunters and the media as 'bogies' due to the phenomena that allowed them to focus and use the elemental powers of nature, knew that this was their last bastion of safety within the city. They were not willing to risk it for anything.

The city of magic-users was rather impressive, forged mostly by magic, with many small alcoves dug into the sewer walls to form rooms for the citizens. An entire section of the sewer had been torn down, the water flows forced to run under the concrete ground, and constructed into a hut filled alcove. With dozens and dozens or rooms, no one here starved for their own space; the camp now looked more like a permanent dwelling than the temporary hide-away it had originally been designed for. Nearly seventy people lived here, twenty three of those were magic-users.

"Isn't your childhood friend supposed to be coming?" asked one of her companions.

"Yeah," she replied, not really wanting to think of the implications.

"You think he might be the threat? Or maybe he's leading hunters down here?"

"He'd never do that."

"Why's he late then?" he countered logically.

"If he was leading hunters, wouldn't he want to arrive as on-time as possible to throw off suspicion?" she asked archly.

He shook his head, "Maybe he isn't leading them...but, well, you know..."

Skye knew what he was talking about. The biggest fear they had. Not just the groups of hunters, but the group under direct governmental control, a group no one was really sure existed...a group of magic-using hunters. The map they'd gotten to the boy would react to the touch of another human by burning itself up, only another magic-user could touch it. She knew that Rune would destroy the map rather then let the hunters get it; he hated hunters and the normal men and women for what they'd done to his sister; what even his parents had done to her. But while Rune might destroy the map if they got too close, what if they used magic to stop him from destroying it?

She shuddered and turned back to her companion, "He'd never give it up without a fight, and if it came down to that he'd destroy it." Her companion nodded, his eyes still grim, they both knew what she avoided saying...as well as why.

Suddenly her feeling of premonition died. So did her feeling of the ambient energy around her. She looked horrifically to her friend; his face betrayed the same. Their magic, their connections and ability to shape it...had just disappeared. A shocked silence filled the room, the tension and sudden fear palatable. 

"I'd hate to hurt any of you, so please just lay down any weapons and come out here into the open," said a strange voice from the center zone.

Standing, out in the open area, in the middle of dozens of the citizens of this small community, was a man dressed in black. He stood with a look of complete calm on his face, his stance neither slouching nor rigid. After a moment of stunned silence, Caleb, their elder, stepped forth and spoke.

"I suppose you expect us to be cowed by your field of magic dampening?" Caleb grimly claimed, "And to stand in the middle of us all...we won't be led around by your pretty tricks and your false posturing!"

"I have nothing to fear from you fools, your limited knowledge and power hold no sway over me. Do not be deceived, there is no field of dampening, you're all being smothered by my companions."

Caleb's eyes narrowed, "So then you're the 'special' hunters, are you?"

"If you wish to call us that."

"We'll die before we become tests for the government and it's scientists."

"You aren't given that choice," the man in black said calmly.

Memories flashed rapidly through Skye's mind, memories of dark rooms and the dank smell of unwashed human flesh. The memories of her time locked up like a lab rat, her time of being treated like an animal, her time of being used. Skye's fear took over; her fear of being caged like that once again. She ran madly towards the man, speedily pulling her knife from her belt. Despite her enraged rush, before she could get within ten feet of the dark intruder, she was totally, magically, paralyzed.

"Fool, why would I lie?" he smiled slightly, grim promises sprouting from that evil smile, "I suppose an example must always be made."

***

  


Gaspar awoke a few hours after the departure of the men in black, staying quite still and pretending to be unconscious to size up the situation.

"You think they can handle it, captain?" one man asked, his voice quite rough.

"...I don't think much of anything can stop those murderers," replied a more sure voice, "They mean to capture the bogies."

"You know they can't allow us to survive after the boy and the old man and corpse are picked up," another claimed slightly shaken.

Silence greeted this statement.

Suddenly Gaspar felt a mind brush his. It was a unfamiliar mind, with a familiar signature, _Please go and help them, _it pleaded.

Gaspar reached out to the mind to find Spekkio and the boy in very concentrated conversation. The boy couldn't do anything, but wanted to help his friends, fellow magic-users and outcasts and hunted of humanity, but couldn't leave Spekkio. Spekkio silently pleaded with Gaspar to go and help the 'bogies' on the boys behalf as well. _Well, I suppose I've got nothing better to do anyway,_ he thought to himself.

The short rest had restored most of Gaspar's magical energy, as well as healing his body enough for the aches and pains to start becoming more and more prominent. With a thought and a single word Gaspar erected a barrier of force around himself and sat up slowly, not wanting to pass out. Another calm word and his bonds were destroyed, the blindfold disintegrating and the strange metal cuffs on his hands and feet transmuted into sand.

He opened his eyes and awoke to the world again, and to the feared stare of four men and four guns. Gaspar recognized guns from Lucca and his time stream examining; he also knew how they worked and their limitations. Slowly standing up, the guru rubbed his wrists and lightly touched the side of his head. Slowly he looked at the leader of the group, the one who'd knocked him out cold earlier.

"I'm sorry fellow, but I have to go and help some people. From the brief snippet of conversation a moment ago, I take it that these men are not friendly towards you, also that you fear they won't be leaving you alive...I think it would be in both our best interests for you to let me go," Gaspar summarized calmly.

"And if I refuse?" the man said calmly.

"Let us hope that you don't make that mistake."

"And how did you manage to cast with the dampening field up?"

"Is that what you've done? I think you overestimate its power. You aren't dealing with an untrained child, there are many paths around your 'field'."

"I see," he said, then sighed, "Alright bogie, go and do your thing. I don't want to end up as a test subject or dead in these sewers."

"Captain!" one objected.

"You and I both know who those damned men were," he said, without taking his eyes of of the guru, "Our reward with be swift and painless I'm sure, but it's still a reward I'd rather forego."

"But, but, it's our job! How can you betray humanity to help the bogies?!"

"'Cause I didn't plan on mixing it up with that group, we all know what they do and what happens to those that aid them," the captain replied, "Besides, the bogies are still human, and those men don't look like the sort I'd want anyone subjected to."

The guru smiled slightly, "A wise choice."


	5. Guardian of the Ugliest Beauty

  


  


  


  


  


  


**Chrono Trigger - Threads of Destiny**

  


**Chapter 5: Guardian of the Ugliest Beauty**

  


1000 A.D.

  


Princess Nadia kept from yawning, but only barely. These day to day state affairs were extremely taxing, and she hated wasting her youth and time on them. She was starting to get totally fed up with the entire situation, and was very seriously considering running away from it all; again.

The grim accountant finally finished his droning about taxes and budgets for the road construction and other equally unimportant matters, and stood awaiting the king's statements on their supposed progress and their coming plans. King Guardia pondered the matter seriously for a moment, "Increase the money going for the road construction, I want good and easy transportation to the southern villages. Take the money from the armies budget, this peacetime has little use for them. Other than that, leave taxes as they are and leave all the other projects static for the time."

The accountant bowed formally and started from the ornate throne room. The large, muscular man walked with the decisive gait of a trained soldier, as he once had been; the room seemed to take a much cheerier note after the man had left, cheery enough for Nadia to turn to her father and ask him a rather delicate question.

"Father, may I make a run into the market today?" she asked politely.

"Hmph, I know that tone in your voice, Nadia. Your mother had the same way of turning very submissive when she was trying to wheedle something from me...out with it."

"Well, I would like to go dressed as a commoner and without the guards this time."

"Absolutely not."

"But why?" she pleaded, trying her best poor-me expression.

"I don't think it would be wise of you, there are still hoodlums and cut-throats, even in a kingdom as peaceful as Guardia," he said patiently, as though explaining a simple idea to a child.

"But how can you expect other parents to trust their children running around in your kingdom if you don't feel safe enough about your own daughter!" she pleaded.

"Because you're a princess, regular folk don't need to worry as much since they couldn't be held for decent ransoms," the king countered logically.

"Please, Father," she gave him her most winning look, "I've been cooped up for so long! I'm being caged in this tiny, stone world. I'll be extra careful. Besides, you always say it's so important to know and understand what your most common citizens are feeling to understand how and why a country should be run! What better way?"

"Well...no, I don't think it's a very good idea."

Nadia took a deep breath, it seemed she was going to lose again, so she might as well get a good fight started so she could claim faintness and asked to be excused from the rest of the days activities. A much-used and valid excuse that, while her father knew was false, was never refuted.

"Your Majesty, I think the princess might have a good idea," the ancient chancellor spoke up quickly, heading Nadia's tirade off, "It would be highly educational for her to see how the kingdom runs from the inside...provided that she has a proper escort."

"How can I see or understand anything with guards all around me!" she exclaimed passionately, wondering if they were even listening to her, "The people see them and start avoiding and acting differently towards me!"

"I didn't mean guards in that sense, Princess," the chancellor said slyly.

"What do you have in mind then?" asked the king warily. 

"Sire, I was thinking of a trustworthy person around the princess's own age that could be considered able to keep her out of trouble."

"Impossible, I wouldn't have Nadia running around with a boy her own age!" the king exclaimed in outrage.

"Nay, my Lord, I was thinking a girl, and not from the guards either."

The king considered the idea for a moment, "It seems you have someone in mind, chancellor, else I'm sure you wouldn't even have mentioned it."

"I was thinking of the inventor's daughter, your Majesty, that girl with the Telepod invention. She's an extremely smart child and has a very level head. As you remember I've had to handle the majority of the details and negotiations, she's proven both resourceful and quick of wit."

"Well, I guess if we explain the situation to her, we can work something out. It would be rather educational wouldn't it?" the king pondered aloud.

"Yes, your Majesty, just as your father did with you."

"Hah, so thats where you came up with that scheme you old goat!" the king laughed, "Agreed then, fetch this girl and explain it to her. Nadia, you'll listen to anything she says and follow her as if she was a knight commanding your guard, is that understood?" 

"Understood, Father," she said very submissively; a companion wouldn't be so bad a thing, provided she could convince the other to treat her like a normal person rather than as a distant, arrogant noble.

***

Lucca had been a bit apprehensive about the appearance of the chancellor and the well-polished, armored Knights, asking politely if she would accompany them to the Guardian castle. She'd come up with many different and exotic reasons for them to call on her, from talks of secretive development of her Telepod, to being jailed or executed for some transgression she was unaware of. 

She had covered angle after angle of the problem, thinking up solutions to all of them, and she walked in to her private meeting with the chancellor quite prepared for anything. Anything except what was asked of her.

"You want me to take the princess, in disguise, into the city. You want me to show her around and introduce her to people and show her how we live for a better understanding of the kingdom," Lucca stated back to the chancellor, "Aren't you worried about her safety?"

"Of course we are, thats why we're having you take her. Beside a level head and quick wit, you've got experience and no one will look at the princess with you and think of anything but a relative or friend visiting," he explained quickly.

The idea actually had a lot of merit, Lucca was willing to admit that, but this was a lot of responsibility, risk, and mostly a lot of her time wasted that she could spend doing research and experimentation.

"I know what you're thinking," he stated, "there will be compensation for your efforts, of course, since we'll be stealing the most precious commodity of a scientist; your time."

"Compensation?" Lucca asked curiously.

"The King is willing to fund your research; your and your fathers."

"Weren't you going to do that anyway?" Lucca asked sourly.

"Well, it wasn't quite set in stone you understand. That and we'd be willing to invest in a few of the more far-fetched inventions."

"Hmph. I follow you, like you said, I'm not stupid. Alright, you've got a deal, old man," she said grumpily. _I know I'm going to regret getting stuck with an overbearing, arrogant princess; just my luck...well, Crono will be happy to meet her I'm sure, _she thought to herself.

"My thanks. Then with that settled, if you could stop by here tomorrow, early in the morning, I'll have the princess warned, ready, and outside the castle in the surrounding woods. The two of you will then be free to do as you wish for the rest of the day."

"...Is she that stifled?" Lucca asked seriously.

The chancellor started slightly, looked somewhat annoyed, and then started to laugh, "Well, I guess I did want you for your intelligence and level head. Yes, the poor princess is wasting away in these walls, though the king refuses to see it. I'd rather she was out under some form of control, rather than roaming around loose after running away again."

Lucca nodded understandingly, feeling a slight sympathy for the poor princess, and stood up casually, "I'll meet her just outside the castle tomorrow then, I'll not explain the situation to my parents; it would be easier for them to remain ignorant."

The chancellor nodded and stood himself, holding his hand forth, "I'm glad we could reach an agreement. I will notify the King. Have a good evening."

Lucca shook his hand, "You too, old man, you too."

***

The next day was a beautiful, clear and sunny day. The birds sang in the trees and the wind swept the lands in a dreamy, light song. Lucca looked out at the perfect day and sighed pensively. _This is too perfect a day for anything but an outing, _Lucca thought grumpily, _Oh well, not much I can do about that...they'd probably just schedule it for another day anyway. Might as well get it over and done with._

"Where are you going, Lucca?" her mother asked with some surprise, "Weren't you going to work on your machine today?"

"Well, this friend of mine is visiting from another town, and wanted me to show her around Truce," Lucca lied casually, "I'll probably be at it most of day, but I might bring her over for dinner."

"Well thats lovely, dear! I didn't think you _had_ any friends other than that weirdo Crono!" her mother gushed, "I'm so glad to hear you have a friend...and a girl none-the-less!"

Lucca looked sourly at her, "I may not have much of a social life, mother, but that doesn't mean I'm a total loner."

"Thats good to hear, dear," she said absently, digging through the cupboards and counting up food in her head, "Your father and I will just be dying to meet her tonight!"

Lucca sighed inwardly, _Stupid! Did you have to warn her about dinner ahead of time?! Now she'll be expecting you...and you know how she gets when things don't go as planned._

"Well, I'm off, don't wanna leave her stranded all day," Lucca said, starting out the door.

"Be careful, dear, I've heard some strange rumors running around in town, I guess there was some commotion the night before last; some were saying monsters and magicians were fighting in the streets!"

"... Mom, there _are _no magicians left! Magus was the last recorded sorcerer in human history."

"Well, it's just rumors, dear, but they always have a grain of truth. I think there was also word of a disturbance near Crono's house too!"

Lucca wasn't really surprised, _Probably some stupid prank that didn't work quite right that started all the rumors._ "Anyway, see you later tonight."

"Bye, dear, have a nice day!"

Lucca walked out the small door, feeling slightly depressed about the whole day. However, the ruckus in town would work quite well to her advantage, the princess would be that much easier to hide... Lucca started a good pace towards the castle, letting her feet do the dirty work while her mind was hard-away considering the problems and solutions for the day. Princess' were by nature arrogant, flighty, and hard to convince to do anything they don't agree with or understand...that and if you end up right and they wrong...well, forgiveness is hard to come by with royalty.

The woods outside of majestic Guardia casted remained as unchanged and unchangeable as the earth itself; no matter how often she'd wandered these woods she always managed to find her way through, without misstep or fault. She even knew a few well-concealed shortcuts that the experienced castle guards hadn't known existed. 

The birds in the air quieted a bit around Lucca, and the wildlife itself seemed to have abandoned this small zone. Slowly reaching for her gun, Lucca stopped and waited, her senses tingling as she pushed them to the max, ready for anything. A rustle in a bush to her back-left gave away her would-be attacker as Lucca swiftly threw herself to a side and rolled, coming up with gun in hand and pulling the trigger at her opponent before they were completely in view.

The same reflexes that would have saved Lucca, instead saved the princess of Guardia; Lucca recognized the gaudy, blue outfit at the last moment, pulling her aim and instead shooting off into the bushes to the brightly-garbed princess' left.

The princess stood stock still, like an ice-sculpture frozen in eternity, the image well-suited to her bright, light blue outfit. Lucca was the first to come to her senses, "Princess! I'm...so sorry! I mean, you know, I didn't think you were the one hiding, I really didn't mean to shoot at you!" she floundered fearfully.

"Don't be silly! It was stupid of me to try to surprise you anyway! That narrow miss with your gun is a good lesson on how jumpy a normal life must leave a person... as well as how often and real the rumors of cut-throats and brigands must be!" she giggled like a little girl, "Guess I should be glad you're reflexes are so good! But am I that obvious? I didn't think people would recognize my face so easily without my dress and fancy hair!"

"Well, I didn't even really get to see your face, it was that ungodly bright shade of blue that caught my eye and made me pull my aim! Lucky I recognized it and connected the two before my bullet connected with you!" she said rather unsteadily. 

"My clothes? This is the only time I've ever worn this outfit outside the castled... how could you recognize it? And how would you know it well enough to shoot off to the side instead of shooting me?" the princess asked suspiciously.

"I... don't know... I just kinda pulled my gun to the...," Lucca started, then was hit my a rather disturbing thought, "How'd you know this was a gun? It's something I created a few years back for protection, but only a few people know what it is!"

"A... gun? I... don't know, I guess I kinda always knew...," the princess floundered as well.

"Well this is too weird for words," Lucca shook her head emphatically, "Why don't we just drop it for now and worry about it later; we can just consider it coincidence for now."

"You're the genius!" she chuckled, "I wouldn't argue with you for a second!"

"Well, you are the princess after all."

"I'd trade royal lineage for you genius in a second!" she exclaimed.

"If you say so...anyway, we should get a move on before we lose the rest of the day; there's a lot of places to visit and things to see, your Highness."

"Please! I _loathe_ titles! Just call me Marle for now! It's a name I've always wanted to use," she smiled impishly.

"Marle..." Lucca stated oddly, losing herself in deep thoughts and confusing possibilities.

"Ummm...can you tell me your name? Hey? Are you listening?" Marle asked.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, I'm Lucca," Lucca burst out, dragging her mind back to the present.

"Well, Lucca, let's get going!"

***

Marle... she liked that name. Marle found her new companion to be a true guide. She actually rather liked this reclusive, sharp young lady. She seemed to be years older in knowledge and sense than most of the ladies in the castle were in truth. And that was pretty old.

"I live over there, across that small bridge on a house pretty much alienated from the rest of society... I guess it's because of what we do and all, but I rather like it. Over that way is my friend Crono's house, but he's on the other side of town. Him mom is nice, but he's a bit reckless... and kinda weird lately," Lucca pointed out the areas with a casual nod wave of her well-muscled arm, "By the by we can stop by my house for dinner tonight if you'd like, my mom'll be cooking up some large dinner since I told her I was showing a friend from another village around."

"That'd be great! I wanna meet this strange friend of yours!" Marle exclaimed energetically.

"That's good, he'd love to meet you," she chuckled, "I think he has a crush on you!"

"Is a nice person?" Marle asked curiously.

"He's a really nice person, always thinking of others... but he's really weird and doesn't talk much."

"Well _that_ will be different! You have no clue how much other guys in court talk, talk and talk! They make passes at me and chat with me all the time! Ugh! It's so annoying!"

"Must be pretty lonely all locked up in that castle, listening to others and doing state-work all day..." Lucca said rather sadly, looking into the sky.

"I'm spending the best years of my life locked in a stone prison! I'm so glad I was able to convince my dad, with the chancellors help, that getting me out and about was a good idea for helping my understanding of running a kingdom."

Lucca chuckled, "Well, I have to admit, I was afraid that the princess of Guardia was going to turn out to be like a stereotypical princess; arrogant, flighty, and pretty much ignoring anything I said!"

"I'm not quite that bad," she giggled. The two of them continued on their way, chatting about things and getting to know one another, but Marle felt strangely that she already knew all of this, and was only going over pre-trodden materials. She started to think about the entire situation, when they came upon the townsfolk.

***

"Well it looks like lightnin' struck! Sure as day!" one man was saying.

"I told you that boy called the lightnin' from his hand! And blew that creepy, huge panther to pieces!" another man exclaimed.

"And what 'bout these marks Grahm? They shore do look a lot like scrapes by huge metal feet! But what was a knight from that castle doing with a boy usin' magic!" a woman claimed.

"People can't use magic!" another shouted, "Even the boys mom said she never caught him castin' any spells or magicks!"

"But he _did _disappear! And on the same night!" another exclaimed, "And look at all the marks around the boys house! Place looks light a battlefield if ya ask me!"

Marle looked to Lucca in confusion, but Lucca had a look of pure horror and worry on her glass-covered face. "Lucca?" Marle started to say.

"Marle, can we just go straight to Crono's house... " she turned pleadingly to Marle.

"No problem! I was just gonna suggest we go check this out... those marks are pretty nasty."

"Thanks!" Lucca said with relief, and started to run off towards the direction she'd pointed out earlier to the wandering princess.

_This is getting too weird... I guess that boy she knows is weirder than she knows... and as for magic, well, maybe I'll tell her when we get there, _Marle thought, taking off after the running inventor.

***

"Lucca!" Crono's mother came out to greet her, "I'm so glad you're here!"

"What happened?" Lucca asked desperately, "All the townspeople were yacking like old wives and making no sense!"

Crono's mom looked around carefully, but the only people were a few people wandering around behind the house. "Lucca... all I know was Crono was out practicing with his sword as usual, when some strange, creepy man dressed all in black floated out of thin air! Just appeared! And then, he was talking to Crono, and Crono dropped his sword and shouted something, and then he ran for it, but got hit first, and the stranger was using magic, and, and..."

Lucca shook her head, "Please! Get ahold of yourself! You're jumbling things together too fast!"

"Sorry... I'm sorry, there've been so many questions, and I didn't want to tell anyone the real truth, I was sure they'd lock me up as a crazy or something! Anyway, like I said, he was practicing, the man in black said a few things and Crono dropped his sword... and then the man in black used some magic or something! It was awful! A huge ball of black smacked right into Crono as he dove for his sword!"

Lucca's blood had turned to ice by now, she knew better than to doubt Crono's mother, she was a very level headed woman who had managed to raise Crono without a husband. "What happened to Crono?" she asked fearfully.

"Well, the man came closer, said a few more things, and then started making this strange black swirly vortex by him, and I felt cold spread through my whole body! Just as I swore Crono was about to be sucked in, some bright ball flew out of nowhere and POW smacked the man in the side!"

"Another man?" Lucca asked surprised, "What was he like?"

"Well... I'm not sure! At first I thought it was one of your inventions! It talked and stood on two legs... but looked like it was pure metal! And it had all these weird gizmos and trinkets sticking out! Crono grabbed his sword by then, and greeted the newcomer like an old friend... Well, the black man, he said something in a dreadful voice and then he disappeared just like the popped in! I was so scared I didn't dare go out till the metal man had left, and after a few minutes Crono and the other guy...they were just gone! Off towards the town and the fairgrounds!"

Lucca pondered it all for a second, the pieces were too odd to fit together. Crono and she'd grown up together, there was little about his past and present that she didn't know. Strange men that could float around and throw balls of magic around were _not_ something she remembered... but it all seemed familiar somehow.

A slender, warm hand on her shoulder woke her from here revere to look up into the concerned face of the beautiful princess, who whispered quietly "Lucca, I need to talk to you for a moment... alone."

Lucca nodded and turned to Crono's mother, "Don't worry, I'll get it figured out! I'm gonna go head to the fair grounds and start searching around there. I'll keep you informed! Don't worry about Crono, as long as he keeps his blade in hand I'm sure he's safe."

Crono's mother looked carefully at Lucca, "I know it seems crazy, magic and monsters and people made of metal... but you have to believe me, I wouldn't lie!"

"I trust you, don't worry," Lucca smiled gently, "I'll go find that block-head and bring him back! Just make sure you scold him really badly about keeping secrets like this from us!"

  


600 A.D.

  


_I wish these people would stop keeping secrets from me! Especially that boy! _though Glenn to himself, _They are indeed mighty warriors... but they could have warned me that fire was the easiest way to get rid of these monsters hammers. Alas that I wasted much of my time fencing whence I could have been helping them!_

"Sorry Glenn, we forgot you don't remember about the beasts in these mountains," Robo claimed, "We'll be sure to explain things like that next time."

"Nay, 'tis but a trifle, I merely wish I had been of more help in that skirmish!"

The small group was nearing the top of the mountains already, the remaining few monsters being dispatched of quite easily. The area surrounding the cave of the Masamune was too quiet however, and the group had decided to stake it out for a time to catch the caves new guardian in action.

"This 'tis proving to be fruitless," Glenn whispered, "Either it shall not show itself, or it must know we are hiding here."

"I think you might be rushing a bit Glenn, we don't know what it is guarding that cave, it may prove more than we can handle," Robo said wisely.

Glenn's fist tightened on his hilt, "We canst not stay here in hidden safety while mine kinsmen and friends fight and die for Guardia!"

"What good will you do them dead, Glenn?" the metal warrior asked.

The frog loosened his grip on his hilt, and let some of his anger fade, "You are right, 'tis the frustration and proximity of our goal... I am most wishing to rush in and once again get the blade!"

"Sorry, Glenn, we really should wait for our foe to make an appearance."

"Robo, I think it knows we're here... it's passed up several opportunities already for prey. And we know from that pile that loves to kill," Crono spoke up.

"Hmm, you might be right. I hate to rush in... but sitting her and wasting time will only make things worse. I suggest waiting just another hour, then we make a run for that cave. Our primary goal is getting Glenn to that sword. Once he reaches that blade, the both of you will be back to your full abilities," Robo claimed.

Glenn shook his head confusedly, "I must admit, my friend, I don't fully believe what you speak... but as you said it 'tis the sword of truth, and with it in my hands once again truth shall be revealed."

They sat quietly for awhile, struggling to waiting patiently, watching the ground and the cave and the sky, the missing sounds of the forest and the unnatural quiet getting to the two human fighters, while the metal one sat in quiet observance, compiling data and testing ever bending glade of grass.

Finally Robo stood up, "There is no point in running, nor is there purpose in waiting. It knows we are here, and awaits us. It's a hunter. A hunter of the highest order. It's patience is unlimited, and it very probably has been watching us since our entrance into the mountains. Let us go forward and do our best, there are no other options."

Glenn and Crono stood, while Glenn spit out the question, "How dost thou knoweth all this my friend?"

Crono shook his head, "You'll understand soon Glenn, for now just know that Robo can understand things from stuff we wouldn't even notice. He's perfect for gathering and processing information."

Glenn sighed, "I think if thou aren't lying about this whole situation, that I shall be a much wiser man once my hand touches the Masamune."

"Like I said before, let's not keep our host waiting," Crono said, starting down the hill towards the cave. The warrior of steel body followed without a word to his left, and the warrior of steel nerves followed on his right. The trio walked down the hill slowly and forcefully. There pace, their stance, their auras. They radiated readiness and determination like a cloud. Their stalker didn't miss that, he was much too skilled. He was also much to skilled to be intimidated.

Within a hundred feet of the cave, their opponent finally made it's long-overdue appearance. A single black bird floated down from the sky, a bird that none could identify by it's appearance, a bird that sucked in light as the cat in Truce had sucked in light, though the cats darkness was like a candle to this birds burning village.

The bird blurred, and standing in it's place was a person. It was neither male, nor was it female. It was neither human, not was it monster. The darkness radiated negative and potent emotions like a whisper on a cold chill wind; the only thing that could be readily identified was it's evil... and it's extreme beauty. The creature had perfect features, it could have been the ultimate being of masculinity, or the most beautiful female on the planet. It's smile was like the sun rising... over a field of dead and slaughtered bodies. Crono and Glenn were both nearly overpowered by the mere emotional aura this being exhibited. Robo stood examining it for weakness' and strengths.

"I'm glad to see you finally came forth, Travelers. I've been waiting for a long time to meet you," the creatures voice purred; it's voice was as beautiful and musical as it's features, yet as dreadful and poisonous.

"Stand aside, creature of Darkness!" Glenn stated, "We will not fall to your enchantment nor your evil powers! Stand aside and return whence you came."

The creature laughed, "Spoken like a true Hero, my dear little frog." It floated nearer to Glenn, "Do you desire me? I can feel your mortal heart beating faster as I come closer... are you sure my enchantment has no effect on you?"

Glenn's face was hard to read, but he was starting to sweat more than normal, and he knew that his heart was much louder now than it had been but a moment ago... A ball of light flew at the creature, which merely faded out and away back to it's place of introduction, where the grass seemed to stoop from pure despair. 

"Please spare me, robot, I know that you're immune to my blandishments, but surely you don't mind if I mess with these mortals for awhile? What can the life of a human mean to one of pure machinery and soulless metal?" it asked half amused, half disgusted.

"I am not as soulless as you would like, demon, nor will I let you harm my friends," Robo said, "You block our way and we will get through, no matter the cost. Many have tried to stop us before, but all have failed and fallen to us."

"Do you dare to compare me to such foolish creatures? They all relied on the direct approach and overwhelming strength, I prefer the shadows, manipulating the emotions of my targets, and of course power of such magnitude that you have no chance," it laughed a dreadful, soul-wrenching sound, "I suppose even I do follow some of the old traditions."

"Enough playing around," Crono said, "We aren't here to bandy words with you. Get out of our way or fight us, there are no in-betweens."

"Foolish mortal, you just don't understand... you will," it claimed patiently, "And then you will understand how patient I have been, waiting for the like of you!"

Glenn's pulled his sword, and Crono followed close behind. Robo looked once more to the creature of darkness that floated, waiting for their assault as if waiting for a child to throw a pebble. Then Robo, also, lifted his hand, "We cannot turn back, nor give up. Even if we have no chance, this is our fight. We cannot back down, too much depends on us."

With a perfection born of practice, the three fighters rushed the immortal soul of darkness.


	6. Sword of Magic's Bane

  


  


  


  


  


  


**Chrono Trigger - Threads of Destiny**

  


**Chapter 6: Blade of Magic's Bane**

  


12000 B.C.

  


_Like staring down the maw of Death itself, _Melchior thought grimly, _This place is the same as it always has been._ Melchior and the Dark wanderer stood before the gates of the Black Omen, standing upon the same small platform that the Time-stream Travelers had stood upon so long ago... or so far in the future, depending on how you looked at it.

"This is your purpose, old man, I need inside this abode of Lavos... the doors are all locked and even my magic cannot penetrate the shielded outside of the Black Omen," the wanderer said.

Melchior stood before the doors of the Omen, pondering his course of action. "This is insanity, even if I could get you in, what would you do?" Melchior turn back to his companion, "I know you've changed, but for the sake of the close friendship we once held, please tell me what is going on!"

The man stood still for a moment, then sighed, "I suppose it is your right, as one of the Guru's of Zeal, and one of the designers of the monstrosities that came so close to destroying the world... I have to find Schala, that is the certain part. Then I must get her out of this place and reenter once again to destroy the Black Omen. I know it's strengths, I know it's weaknesses, all I do not know is the layout of the entrances. She had you design the locks yourself. Just as she had Gaspar design it's dormant ability to exist in all times, a power only activated by the addition of the eventual pure Lavos energy."

Once I have started the destruction of the Black Omen, I plan on leaving this horror and meeting you without. Then I will need to instruct Schala in the task that lies before her and one other, a person whom she must come to accept, just as she will have to accept the changes in me."

Melchior stared long and hard at the Dark Sign; turning to his companion once again, he said slowly, "I don't know if I can open the doors... but I will try."

The figure said nothing as Melchior went to work, poking around and trying to figure out just how his original plans for the door locking and magical recognition systems operated. He found little, if any, deviation from his original plans. The locks were unbreakable, would only respond to someone pre-programmed in as a 'priveledged' person, or those who had been added as authorized people. Neither Melchior or his companion would have been added, since they had never actually traveled to the Ocean Palace or the Black Omen. Of course, Melchior was a bit too careful to leave things under the complete control of anyone, even the Queen of Zeal.

Melchior closed his eyes, and slowly summoned forth his life energy. The warm glow of the Guru of Life's life-force would be visible to anyone with the ability to use magic, so he was sure that the Dark wanderer was watching carefully. Melchior was, however, not about to give even him the key to getting inside the Black Omen by himself without a good reason. The changes in his friend had probably not made him a cold-blooded murderer, but Melchior was not sure about him anymore, not since he'd claimed the feel of the demonic Black Wind.

With careful and delicate precision, the Guru flowed through several transitions of his life energy in creating a 'key', of sorts. The key would work for anyone with a strong life energy; however, they needed to know the exact frequency and shape the key needed to embody. The guru doubted that his companion could shape his life energy with the precision and skill Melchior could, but he taking no unnecessary chances, keeping the key in a constant state of fluid movement. The energy patterns danced like a fire, forming and bending to his will not with the crushing force of a warrior, but with the delicacy of a dancer.

The key synchronized with the energy flows from the Dark Omen, even though Melchior nearly became sick from the Lavos-energy, and with a simple _whoosh_, the main entrance to the Black Omen opened.

Melchior's companion said nothing, but stepped forward and into the dark inside without another sound.

With a huge sigh, Melchior sat down hard on the platform of the Black Omens entrance.

_I hope he knows what he's doing_, thought Melchior, _I also hope he can truely find Schala._

***

The Black Omen was silent. Of course, she obviously didn't expect someone to break in so quickly. Or for someone to be able to enter, for that matter. She should have given the old guru more credit.

The scars from the Travellers battles along the way were still obvious. Remainders of machines layed in broken piles, rotting corpses from gruesome monsters lying all over, and scars along the walls and floor from the magic and attacks of their battles. He was decently impressed that a band of children had managed it all, though neither side had had any choice.

The wanderer continued along his path, confident that nothing would bother him, he had yet to anger the Omen, and it had nothing to guard. Nothing it knew it needed to guard anyway. Besides, the Black Omen was still only half awake at best. Such a huge being couldn't awaken without it's main source of power, and Lavos was long dead now.

He pondered his course of action; Schala could not remain a voluntary prisoner of the Black Omen, but by removing her, he would take away the last chain holding her and the Omen down from releasing it's true curse. _Doomed if I do, doomed if I don't,_ he though darkly, _Fate is a cruel mistress, and setting up her plots is a crueler Fate itself._

As he walked silently through the final chamber of safety on the Omen, he noticed a humming noise growing from within the Omen. Stopping for a moment in surprise, he stretched out his senses to the child-like mind of the Black Omen. It responded to his touch with a feeling of curiosity. The Black Omen itself had no feeling of right or wrong, it was merely a tool with a basic concisouness.

_What is happening?_ the wanderer thought to the Omen, _Why do you shudder?_

A picture of the Omen fully funtional was placed into his mind.

_Complete so quickly? How can you do such a thing? Your power, Lavos is dead,_ he thought back.

The returning image shook the wanderer to the base of his soul, his shock knocking loose his contact with the Omen's conciousness.

"Impossible!" he shouted.

1000 A.D.

  


"Dammit! This couldn't just be a practical joke!" Lucca exclaimed as she and the Princess walked away from Crono's house, "His mother wouldn't be so easily fooled. Who would attack him? Magic? Metal men and disappearing and portals... it's ludicrous!"

"Umm, Lucca," the Princess tried to interject.

"I mean, who could Crono have made so mad they'd try to kill him? And with fancy lights and tricks? To what purpose?!"

"Lucca," the Princess stated more firmly.

"Sure, he's been acting really weird lately, and..." Lucca continued.

"LUCCA!" the Princess shouted, grabbing Lucca's shoulders and turning Lucca to face her.

"Huh?" Lucca started in surprise, "Oh! Oh, Princess, I'm sorry! I got so wrapped up that I lost track of where I was..."

"Listen, Lucca, this is gonna sound kind of weird, but I think the magic was real."

"Real? There's no such thing as 'magic'. It's against the laws of nature!" Lucca countered, "Erm, well, I mean, there's not proof that it exists, and physical laws don't really leave room for a supernatual power to control elements," she floundered, afraid she might have gone too far with talking down the Princess.

"Listen, you can't tell _anyone_ about this, alright?" Marle said, looking Lucca straight in the eye with a seriousness that surprised the inventor.

"Uh, sure."

"I'm serious," she narrowed her eyes, "This has to remain _totally _secret!"

"Alright, you have my word," Lucca stated plainly.

Marle gently lifted her hands in front of Lucca, keeping them pressed together horizontally, as if she was cupping something very important and short within. Lucca couldn't help but pull her head in closer as if looking for the smallest details.

Marle breathed out heavily, then closed her eyes and rolled her head back a bit, looking up to the sky. Lucca barely noticed her faces movement, however, as her senses were completely centered on the Princess' hands.

At first nothing seemed to be happening, but after a moment small puffs of condensed air came from between the Princess' hands, almost as if she was holding ice. Slowly the princess raised her upper hand, pulling it vertically away from her lower one very slowly and deliberatly. What Lucca saw then changed her opinion on magic instantly.

As her upper hand raised, tendrils of ice formed from her lower hand, and as she went the shape of the ice came to resemble a dancer in a breath-taking pose. What was most breath-taking was that she created it from nothing but air and moisture in the air using no gizmos, lights and mirrors, or special tools.

Finally the figure was completed, balanced on one foot the ice dancer began to slowly spin in her hands as Marle's concentration became more intense. Finally Marle pressed her hands together slowly, melting the figure back to nothing but air.

"How..." Lucca started.

"Magic." the Princess stated, "I have no other way to describe it. One day I just accidentally froze part of my dresser when in a fit of anger," she explained, "It took a lot of practice, but I was eventually able to recreated the feelings I had at the time I did it, and with more practice I learned to control it without being angry."

"So, you think if you can use magic, it might not be so crazy that Crono and his enemy _and _the metal stranger could all use the mysterious powers?" Lucca said, still midly off balance from having a large fact of life totally disproven.

"Well, I don't know if they were using it for sure, I felt very odd while we were at that house," she said, "almost as if the magic used there was cold, not like ice cold, but emotionless or cruel cold."

"I don't know anything about this magic stuff," Lucca said, "But I know I can follow the facts placed in front of me. Since magic is probably not a sham, we can safely assume that the marks and damage done was mostly magical in nature, so the attacker obviously was afraid of a physical attack by Crono or his metal friend."


End file.
